Red Sun
by Beisbeis
Summary: When the island home of BZ Koro is discovered by the Bohrok, BZ Koro Captain Beisbeis must save his home from enemies that are found outside, inside... and himself. Completed!
1. Prologue

Prologue

_Hello. You probably have no idea who I am; and I believe I would like to keep it that way, at least for now. Suffice it to say that I am a Matoran of BZ-Koro - one who has made mistakes. This account I am writing is for the errors I, along with countless others, have made. The still haunt my soul at night; and they will terrorize me for the rest of my life._

_It is about BZ-Koro that I also write this story. Something terrible had happened to our beloved city: the Bohrok had come. Though we had fought courageously to prevent the prospect of terrible death and chaos, many have made that vision permanent. This is for them; this story is here so those people and their faults will never be forgotten, along with this tale of the near-destruction of now only our Island, but of Mata Nui itself._

_So take your seat by the fireplace; bring your family close, all of them; and share this history with them. And never forget the past's sacrifices – their innocence, their sufferings, their lives – so you could be here. Continue the legacy; the past can unlock the doer to the future._

_Let us unlock it now._


	2. Part I, Chapter 1

Part I

Chapter I

Far beneath the underground of Mata Nui, they waited.

They were encased in fluidic capsules - waiting to be awoken, to do their master's bidding, to fulfill their Purpose.

Their masters lay asleep also - waiting the time when someone would awake them.

They did.

Takua, then known as the Chronicler, stumbled upon them as the Toa and Makuta's climatic battle ended. He had seen symbols of these creatures in his dreams; the words _Beware the Swarm_ and signs warning of them carved into rock by Matoran all during his adventures traveling Mata Nui. He did not know these were the creatures that matched the warnings, but his curiosity got the better of him. He stared into one of the capsules, peering into its lifeless eyes, when suddenly it woke, its red eyes focusing on the creature - _the enemy_ - in front of it.

"You wake one, you wake them all."

Takua barely escaped with his life from these nightmares, and thus the Bohrok and the Bahrag were awoken to ravage Mata Nui and bring it to what the land was in the Before-Time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'Enter, Tahnok. We are anxious for your knowledge of our search.'

A Tahnok entered the massive black cavern. Its feet marched obediently to the center, where, surrounded by red and blue orbs of energy, were the Bahrag Twins, Cahdok and Gahdok, the Mothers of the Bohrok swarm. The JA Krana that controlled the Tahnok forced it to bend its knee and offer supplication to the enormous Queens in front of it, and then stood up. One of the Twins, Cahdok, who had spoken, concentrated its telepathic power on the JA Krana within the Bohrok. A beam of energy came from the middle of Cahdok's head and immersed the Tahnok completely.

Flashes of battles raced by in both their minds... Then he was traveling with a squad to Ko-Koro... Then they were capturing the Matoran in Le-Koro and overtaking them there...

Suddenly, the memories stopped. The recollection had been frozen so suddenly that much of the picture in the memory was blurred as a result. Cahdok strained the JA's mind. The picture focused to a better view; the dashes on the wall became clearer, soon becoming letters of the Matoran language. From the heat radiating everywhere the Bohrok could see in the memory, it appeared they were in Ta-Koro.

'We have heard of this room from other Bohrok,' said Cahdok telepathically to Gahdok.

'They call it the Wall of History,' answered Gahdok, who clearly was ready to explore in this memory further. Cahdok again intensified the focus in her mind. The frozen memory magnified to the far left and the unknown Matoran inscription was translated. There was a lot to go over and see in the memory; the history of the Matoran on Mata Nui was not condensed. Finally, after searching for many minutes, Cahdok found what they had wanted.

'_Date Unknown. BZ-Koro formed. A lesser Toa of unknown elemental power named Hapori Tohu and his group of followers fled their simple town (location unknown) after Makuta appeared and infecting it with Kratta, hoping to destroy them. A large portion died, while the remaining survivors caused them to flee south, which they were not seen again_.'

'Gahdok,' said the other Twin, 'Make this Krana a XA for his immense help to us.'

Cahdok's energy released its grip on the Bohrok, while Gahdok concentrated on the Krana, changing its face, adding ripples, and taking bumps out...

Soon, the newly made Krana XA bend the Bohrok's back to give thanks, and soon retreated.

'Could this be, Gahdok?' thought Cahdok, as the cave resumed its emptiness, 'could this be that the place we are searching for our mission lies in this fabled Koro?'

'It appears to be the only choice,' replied her sister, 'but we must continue our assaults on the other Koros, or the Matoran might become suspicious of our motives.' Cahdok nodded.

'I agree. Let us send squads out to the southwest of Mata Nui and start searching there. My feelings tell me they would not have lived that long in Le-Wahi. The sea would be a more likely area to start.' Gahdok grinned maliciously in reply.

'Then let us complete our Mission created for us by the Great Servant of Darkness, and the world will be as it was in the Before-Time; and the might of Makuta and the death of Mata Nui shall conquer the light of this world!'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A sea bird slowly glided over the shimmering water that was reflected off the rising sun as it steadily approaching The Island. It began to rise as the waves crashed down over the rocks, gnawing at the edifice that stood in its way. The bird weaved through the tangle of bushes and plants that had managed to grow amidst the harsh environment. After a few minutes, it had reached the summit and flew above the ground to look at the large plain that had grown on top of the small crop of hills overlooking the sea.

A Matoran stood at the edge of the cliffs, staring blankly into the endless void of ocean. Technically he was not a Matoran – the Matoran's Kanohi did not contain any power, and they were of different build. Not even those of his hometown BZ-Koro could tell what they truly where.

Actually, he was shorter than a normal Matoran would be – something that he used to be sensitive about when he was younger. His mostly-white body stretched as he shook his head from the wondrous sleep he had just had. He grabbed his mask that he had laid on the soft grassy field next to him and his small pack the previous night with his black hands; it was too uncomfortable to sleep with it on. As he put on his silver Akaku, the mask of X-ray vision, he felt the familiar surge of power that was contained in the mask; and for the first time that morning, felt fully awake.

He gave an intake of breath, then a huge a huge refreshing sigh. It was good to leave the village once in a while to ease his mind of the bustle of life that did not always bode well with his mood - even if he left BZ-Koro, his home city, without permission. He needed the time to relax, because he had been busy in his life almost nonstop since the Swarms had been discovered...

It had been Takua, the exploring Matoran that recorded the history of Mata Nui and helped recover the lost Toa stones, which had woken the Swarms unknowingly and unleashed their awful power. Ever since that time, the six Koro's of Mata Nui had been ransacked with many various attacks, each as unpredictable as the next. BZ-Koro had given military assistance to the cities ever since during the time of the Rahi, but had not been attacked themselves.

Maybe it was the fact that the only person who ever knew it truly existed was Nuju - which, the Matoran thought, would keep this information to himself; or the fact that BZ-Korans hardly ever traveled to Mata Nui and did not disguise themselves as other Matoran, so if they did go, their origin would not be known to anyone - or anything.

Whatever the rationale, it was these facts that saved BZ-Koro from suffering as harshly as the other villages had, and saved the Matoran captain from complete exhaustion. He fingered his mace, and then sighed. He had had to travel to Mata Nui to help free Le-Koro during the previous month, so his stamina was unusually low as of late. Generally, he seemed to enjoy war; not because of the killing that occurred, but whenever he fought, it seemed to bring him such excitement, like during the chase in a hunt. It was something always inexplicable to him, even after the many long hours he had spent pondering it, so he simply let it go and continue to do his part in the War.

Maybe his reason for his unexplained love of battle was that he was left-handed. It might seem useless to anyone who did not know what was so unusual, but almost everyone on Mata Nui was right-handed (except for a gifted few), so because of this, the Council pronounced him Different. The astronomers had found the Red Star creating a new prophecy, which said the captain was destined for great things before the end of the Bohrok threat - which also was prophesied about the same time.

The Matoran had actually been serving for quite a while. He was one of the top soldiers in his class (which usually only consisted of, at the most, fifty Matoran), if not the best, and he had won great prestige when Le-Koro was overrun. He had led his group straight into Le-Koro, one of the most dangerous parts of the mission; and amazingly, there were no injuries or deaths to speak of in his group, so he had missed on much of the death and carnage that had overcome some battalions. This soon prompted the prophecy about his destiny, which the soldier held in high respect whenever it was spoken or thought of.

The Council that had lived during the Matoran's youth, however, was now replaced. All the former members had died peacefully, and a young Matoran, even younger than the captain stood up to take the Head Matoran's seat. This Matoran, whose name was Niwan, said he sought to help to citizens of BZ-Koro; however, it was evident that all he cared about was the power that he held, due to the obvious lack of responsibility and leadership he had. There were rumors that the captain was to have wanted the Head's seat (which, as he thought angrily, were not true; he was not one for politics), so Niwan had pushed him to the limit for the training of the new soldiers, whose seventeenth birthday required to serve in the Army for a few months, maybe even years until the Bohrok were defeated (unlike the previous law, which stated that soldier had to be at least twenty to serve). This meant he would be occupied for quite a while, whether he wanted to be or not. Luckily, the Council did not know that he had slipped out of BZ-Koro just as the gates shut a few days ago; so no one would have known he was missing until the next morning, which gave him a few days to be alone, at least. Glad of his chance, the captain surveyed the landscape around him. Sometimes it was wonderful to be utterly alone.

Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, a foot soldier emerged in the distance of the plains, nearing the Matoran. He sighed; the wind blew all around one last time, as if to taunt him. Disgruntled, the captain tried to ignore the inevitable call to the village that was jogging closer to him, while wondering how in the world this soldier had been able to find him way out here; now he would be reported to the Council and he would be in severe trouble with them.

The Matoran tried to distract himself from his problems by watching the sunrise into the sky. Sunrise was one of the captain's favorite times; the colors that splashed across the horizon were nothing short of amazing, even if it was partially obscured by the mist. Today, however, was different; all that appeared across the horizon was red. The captain heightened the clarity of the image with his Akaku, but no new shades emerged. The Matoran's eyes lowered in unease. Only when great war was to begin would the sun become pure red; it served as a warning, along with the Red Star to determine the type of battle, to those who took note of it. Beisbeis shrugged his shoulders; he dismissed it in his mind as something about the Bohrok on Mata Nui, although his excuse did not ease his curiosity or discomfort.

Finally, the soldier reached him and gave a salute, accompanied with a stand for attention. The captain could not pretend he was there any more, much to his displeasure, so he turned to face the soldier, as if he just realized he was there. The Matoran was slightly taller than the captain, but that did not prohibit him from bowing to his authority. The soldier wore a teal Miru and green body, with brown hands. The Matoran tried standing a little taller when he noticed the captain was watching him to show he was not anxious about talking to one of his leaders.

"What is it, soldier?"

"A call for you, sir. Some of the newer recruits need help in drills, especially in hand combat. They requested that you help, sir."

The captain knew that the soldier could mean only one 'they': the Council of BZ-Koro, of which he had no chance of changing their minds, thanks to Niwan. He gave a short gaze out at the ocean, sighed, and then started walking away down the steep path to the bottom of the cliffs and to the plains below. After they had reached the bottom and started on the path back to BZ-Koro, he turned to the soldier.

"Your name, soldier? Také, isn't it? The first in your year two years ago?" Také started, evidently pleased that a captain had recognized him out of the four hundred and fifty soldiers that were from BZ-Koro.

"Yes, sir."

"Don't 'sir' me, I can't stand that... just call me Beisbeis." Také hesitated.

"The Council says we should give respect to our commanding authorities."

"And I say we forget about what the Council says," Beisbeis said darkly. "Just between you and me; Beisbeis is enough of the respect I want," he said, and Také's face became brighter. Beisbeis looked out over the fairly large plain for a couple seconds before turning back to the Matoran, who was still grinning slightly from Beisbeis' recognition.

"So, do you have a report from the villages for me?" Také snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head quickly.

"Well, both fishing parties are back. Between the two of the groups, they caught about twenty Ruki fish - that's all they could get from the east beaches and Lake Lamén. They think it might have had something to do with the Bohrok on Mata Nui. The Bohrok might have disrupted the Tarakava, and the fish might have had to seek safer places - which I guess are not around The Island."

Beisbeis shook his head. The lack of fish was not just disappointing, it was precarious; even though the Koro had enough food to sustain them for while, the lesser amount of meat meant they would eat nothing but grain for a while, which certainly cut into their supplies - they only had enough to last them a few months.

"Have the hunting parties returned yet?" he asked Také. The Matoran shook his head disappointedly.

"No, si- Beisbeis," he added, remembering what the captain had told him, "We've looked, but the animals we had seemed to have a few months ago have gone-"

"Shh. Duck down. Don't move."

Beisbeis suddenly became sharp and aware, although he had actually been listening since they had begun talking. Silently, he pulled Také to the ground and waited, acutely scanning the area with his Akaku.

"What-"

Beisbeis brought a finger to his lips, leaving Také to be silent and confused. The captain inched forward, silently raising his mace from the mud.

"We've been far too loud. Something's heard us, and it's been hiding near that boulder over there." Beisbeis pointed to the rock about five bio away to the north of them. The captain nodded and turned to Také.

"All right, you go to the right," Beisbeis whispered, "And I'll be on the left. Be ready to run, and we should catch the thing that's spying on us." And without another word, he held his breath and snuck through the large weeds, taking careful steps not to attract their apparent enemy's attention.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_The creature stood frozen, using all its senses to understand where the two Matoran that it had been hearing for the past half-hour were. They were sneaking closer to its spot, because they had split apart and were approaching from the sides. There was one in front of it, beyond the boulder, but it kept losing sound of him; the Matoran knew what he was doing. The wind was ruining some of its hearing, so it relied on its eyes. Soon, the plants slowly began to straighten up; the breeze was slowing down. The beast raised its small hammer silently while listening for any disturbance that might aid its search._

_There was something to the beast's left. The creature jerked its head noiselessly. The bushes swayed quietly, almost silently next to it - without the aid of the wind - and the creature could barely make the glimmer of light off the weapon before it was hid from its sight again._

Instinct – or maybe terror – took over. The creature burst off its rock and flew through the foliage, just as one leaped off the boulder and tried to grab it from behind. He heard the Matoran that was now on the ground shout something to the other, then felt a searing pain in its back. The beast limped a couple steps, swayed back and forth, and finally fell to the ground, darkness finally overcoming him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis sprinted to the monster and checked the pulse. The creature was clearly dead. After a second, he grasped the hilt and pulled the dagger out of the back.

"Nice shot, Také," he said impressively, "I can tell why you were first in your class." The foot soldier grinned embarrassingly, yet again pleased that he had satisfied the captain. Beisbeis handed him the weapon and rolled over the creature.

It was a Pahrak Va, evident from the vibrant brown color and the hammer that was on the side of it. The Krana it was holding on its back and suddenly leaped on the ground; it already injured by the dagger, however, frantically attempting to crawl away. Without a thought, Beisbeis swung his mace and severed the creature in two. The pieces ceased wriggling, and it seemed that time was speeding up and taking its toll on the parasite. The half-Krana grew harder and harder, and blue cracks ran through the veins of the creature.

Suddenly, it stopped, and the Krana lay in the dust, dark and looking as if it was a fossil, staying undisturbed since the Before-Time. Another large breeze blew through the marsh, and slowly, flakes flew off the Krana until there was nothing left on the ground. The shavings fluttered in the wind, out into the sea and beyond.

Beisbeis stood rigid to the spot, thinking, his cloak whipping around in the wind. There had been no type of Bohrok on The Island before; so the only reason a Bohrok Va would appear on the island would be if -

"They know we're here." Beisbeis whispered quietly. Také was running up and was confused at what was happening.

"What? What's wrong, si-"

"I don't know what's going on here, but something happening. C'mon, we have to get back - now. We need to tell BZ-Koro. Hurry, Také!"

And without another word, Beisbeis began to run back onto the Road into the plains. Také took one look at the dead Pahrak Va, then turn back to catch up with Beisbeis.


	3. Part I, Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Beisbeis sprinted on the Road from the cliffs, bursting over rocks, running over plants, water, mud - anything in his way. He was feeling the beginnings of an emotion that had not truly come to him in a long time: fear. It had never really affected him throughout the wars because the thought of BZ-Koro safe helped to comfort him if he were ever to be slain.

But now, the chance that their village might have been discovered was making him anxious. Many other warriors were gone helping the other Koros, so he was left with ill adapted and unequipped trainees to aid their defense. Now would be too good of an opportunity for the Bohrok to miss. Nervously, he turned his head and found Také still running, but definitely slowing down. He stopped for his younger companion.

"Can you keep up all right?" he whispered urgently. He had not scanned the area for Bohrok with his Akaku Nuva yet, so it was best to be safe than dead.

"Sir," Také panted, breathing heavily, "I can run long distances, but I can't run them as fast as you can. We must have covered half a kio in an hour's time…" Beisbeis shook his head.

"Well, it doesn't matter, we still have a quarter of a kio to go, and it will take us at least another half an hour, maybe more, to get there-"

"Wait, sir. Can you explain what's going on first before we continue?"

Beisbeis turned around to look towards the soldier. Také's face was not full of excitement or even fear, as Beisbeis had expected of most soldiers his age, but of curiosity and concern. Beisbeis sighed. He quickly glanced around the area, decided it was safe, and then turned back to address him.

"Do you know what that thing back there was?"

"Well, it was a Pahrak Va, wasn't it?"

Beisbeis nodded. "Has there ever been Bohrok on The Island?"

A few seconds passed, then Také's eyes began to widen. "Do you mean that Pahrak Va knew we were here?"

"My guess is no," Beisbeis replied, "Because a Bohrok Va usually does not travel alone if they are attacking. They might know now and send more, however – which is why we need to hurry back, and warn the people about what could be coming." As he stood up, Také voiced what Beisbeis was thinking.

"Do you think we'll survive, even with more time?" Beisbeis stopped once again and watched Také anxiously await the answer. The captain dropped his head to the ground, searching for an answer, and sighed.

"I don't know."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The city of BZ-Koro grew closer as the twosome jogged on. The territory become more familiar as cultivated fields, then small huts and larger houses started to appear more often. Finally, they could the large structure in sight, surrounded by a small number of trees. Guards stood on the walkway as sentinels, watching the sun descend below the horizon. The enormous gates of the Koro were pushed apart and Beisbeis and Také entered the city.

The bustling courtyard in the far right corner was filled with busy Matoran that continued their business, unaware of the dangerous information Beisbeis carried with him. The fountain in the center continued to spray water for any Matoran that needed it as the captain moved left with Také following close behind. They descended the small steps down into the Great Council Building that was next to the entrance of the Koro.

Beisbeis shut the door after Také had already gone in. Darkness immediately overcame them, save for torches lit every few feet. Beisbeis and Také walked down the only hallway, and soon came to a passageway leading three different ways; a pair of immense double doors blocked the largest path in front of them. The guards on watch examined the two, deemed him safe, and opened the two doors. Beisbeis and Také stepped inside.

They were standing in a massive dome-shaped room, with nine raised seats in an almost complete circle, each occupied by a Matoran. The brightest light in the room poured onto the center, through the stained glass window in the top; all the torches along the side were lit, also. They were all whispering amongst themselves until Beisbeis and Také reached the center, and all was silent.

"Beisbeis," boomed the Matoran in the middle pillar, raising himself from the outer darkness and into the light, "You're late. I believe we called you yesterday afternoon." This Matoran wore a dark green Mahiki to match his dark green body. His eyes pierced through the holes in his masks, eying Beisbeis intently. He was someone that anyone near him could never sense his emotions, his intents. It was an unnerving quality for a leader.

Beisbeis raised one of his eyebrows as he said, "I was a bit busy, Niwan. Maybe we should ask you where _you _go every once in a while," he muttered, though loud enough for everyone to hear. Niwan's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I'll ignore that last retort if you tell us what you were doing for the past day."

"Well, sir, I was fighting a Bohrok Va."

Talk burst out, but were quickly silenced with a shout for silence from the Main Matoran. His eyes, scrutinized, watched Beisbeis carefully - and dare he say cautiously?

"Please explain."

It took a short ten minutes to recall discovering and fighting the creature. When the story was finished, Niwan spoke again.

"So you believe they know our location?"

"I don't know, which is why I suggest we prepare ourselves for the attack, so we are not caught unawares."

Whisperings occurred for a moment, but soon became silent.

"We cannot do that," said the Main Matoran simply, while the captain jerked his head to him, his mouth open disbelievingly. "We must act as if we do not know anything. They might not even know we are here. If we do anything, they will be sure and know, but if we keep this quiet, we have a chance that they will not discover anything." Beisbeis nodded disapprovingly, which was unlike him to do so – no one stood up to the Council.

"From what I've seen, I doubt it – so if you're going to be fools and just let them overtake us without any action - "

"You _will_ show respect to those in higher authority than you."

The Main Matoran, now incensed at his remark, responded tensely to Beisbeis. The rather quiet noise surprisingly echoed through the large room. After a few seconds, the captain bowed unconvincingly, fury also showing in his face.

"I should, you're correct. But I only bow to those who do not let their own power cloud their senses –"

_"You will show respect to those higher in authority than you!"_

Niwan was now standing, bellowing at Beisbeis, rage etched over his face. Beisbeis stared defiantly back.

"Then you need to accept the fact that they will know we're here and that they are coming."

Beisbeis' remarks created a dead silence in the Council. The Main Matoran stared through his mask at the captain for a few seconds, his eyes narrowed in hatred.

"We will do no such thing. There is no need to do so. Meanwhile," Niwan pointed a finger at Beisbeis, though it was obvious he was restraining the urge to go up and use his fist instead, "You will leave this room at once. If you tell anyone about these ideas about defending something that will not come to us – " Niwan's mask glowed, and a image of shackles materialized in front of Beisbeis, floating in the air, "We will find out about it, Beisbeis. Go, now."

Angrily, Beisbeis spun around and climbed the stairs out, with Také close behind, their steps echoing again. When they reached the safety of the outside, Také whispered, "…Now what?"

"We need to make it out on our own – right now. I expected opposition from some, but I didn't expect the whole Council to turn on us. We'll grab some weapons, then leave… and…" Také became nervous.

"And? And what?" Beisbeis shook his head.

"Well, we'll figure it out from there. C'mon, we better hurry if we're going to make it out before they arrest us for something ridiculous."

Beisbeis and Také hurried off the Lower Level, watching the now silent courtyard for anything hiding in the shadows as dusk fell.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_'BZ-Koro was divided into two sections, the Upper and Lower. The Upper was where many of the larger buildings were located, such as the Armory, Library, Infirmary, etc._

_The Lower Level was the home of the Matoran. They lived, dined, and performed other activities underground, along with storage of most of their food. There was only one staircase down and up to the Upper and Lower Levels, to prevent attacks from enemies._

_History_

_ BZ-Koro holds a great legend regarding Metru Nui–_

As the picture grew fainter, a disappointed Cahdok released her hold on the Bohrok.

'Is this all of the Wall of History you could see?' she asked the Tahnok.

'Chikt-chikt-chikt.'

'The rest was rubbed away?' The Tahnok nodded.

'Very well. You may leave.'

When the Bohrok exited, Cahdok started talking to herself.

'We didn't get all we wanted.'

'But we confirmed the existence of the Koro,' reminded Gahdok, 'that will get us started.' Cahdok distantly nodded.

'Yes…' Suddenly, her head jerked up.

'Send the Bohrok to BZ-Koro.'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -

Beisbeis and Také walked through the stone stairway that led to the Lower Level, closely watching everywhere about them. They would not be surprised if they were arrested on the spot for an imaginary law and taken to the prison until Niwan's consent. The market had closed earlier than normal, so no one would be there to defend them; they needed to leave, and fast. Luckily, they met no one as they descended the spiral staircase.

A few seconds later, the Lower Level appeared in front of the two Matoran. This place was similar to Onu-Koro, with lighted huts scattered into groups everywhere, and a larger-than-normal dome building in the center, which served as the dining area. Over to the far left corner, just below the entrance of BZ-Koro, was a large stash of Madu Cabolo, a fruit that surprisingly exploded when combined with enough pressure, and were therefore used in combat for clearing away sections of enemies. The captain never felt comfortable with the possibility that he might be blown up by some accident involving those weapons. However, it was silent, the air was stuffy, and no one could be seen. Beisbeis turned to Také, his voice a quiet whisper, trying to keep the silence.

"All right, head to the quarters, and gather anything you need from your bunk. I'll go get my stuff and we'll meet back here in ten minutes." Take nodded, and started walking to where the soldiers were housed, his feet slapping on the ground, until they became a faint echo.

Beisbeis turned to his right to follow the path that led to his quarters. Even though the soldiers and captains lived in the same building, a thick wall separated them from each other. There were only twenty or so captains, and as the rest were either leading BZ-Koro's armies or on duty here, there was no one in the recreation hall when he entered, or in their rooms, from what he could see. Beisbeis silently thanked the Great Spirit's for this small stroke of luck, and then headed down the hallway and to the left, where he entered his room.

There was nothing especially impressive or amazing in this place – just a simple wooden bed, drawer, desk with some unfinished letters to the stations on The Island, and a chest in the corner of the room. Quickly, Beisbeis dipped into his scanty provisions, map, cloak and his valuable Volo Lutu Launcher, a machine that by using two elements of contrasting polarity he could essentially propel in a certain direction, After searching the chest, he looked for any weapons he find on the floor. There was nothing of sentimental value that he had that he could bring – he would have to leave it to the Council. Taking one last look at his quarters, he turned around, pack in hand and mace over his back. As he turned to shut the door, a voice rang out to his right.

"Hold it right there!"

The captain turned to find two soldiers standing side by side. One held his sword in his hand, while the other held an old mace. Both tried to appear firm, but Beisbeis could see both were nervous – their hands tried gripping their weapons, but they did so incorrectly. He could handle younger soldiers.

"You are under arrest for spreading rumors of Bohrok coming to BZ-Koro," one tried to say in a commanding tone, "We are to take you to them to be judged."

Beisbeis sighed in defeat, dropped his pack, and walked slowly with his head down. Suddenly without warning, he grabbed his mace from behind and smacked the closest Matoran's jaw with the hilt. The soldier fell to the ground, stunned, dropping his mace with a clang, while the second raised his sword and pulled a whistle out of his armor. He exchanged blows from Beisbeis, and quickly blew three short notes. Yet, in this he made his mistake: in his moment slight moment of triumph, he forgot about his enemy. Beisbeis smacked his opponent in the head; but in the quiet that followed, he could hear another whistle pierce the outside above.

"Oh, great…"

The Matoran quickly grabbed his backpack from the ground and ran out of the building. Také was already waiting for him at the captain's entrance, his eyes nervously watching around.

"What did you do?" he said nervously over the growing noise.

"Make a mess," Beisbeis grumbled, pulling the slipping pack onto his shoulder, "No doubt the gate will be closed by now…"

"Then how are we going to get out?"

Beisbeis signaled for Také to follow him. As they made their way along the path, lights began to appear inside the huts. The captain picked up his pace as he pointed up to Také.

"We're going the only way we can now – over the wall." Také shook his head, aware of the rapidly growing number of lightstones appearing in the Lower Level.

"And how are we going to get over there?" Beisbeis pulled out his cloak.

"Just follow my lead. And make sure you watch where you fall."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The two-cloaked Matoran silently made their way up the large spiral staircase, taking a few steps, then stopping suddenly, as noise would come closer. So far none had actually come on the stairs, and yet the captain's confusion was rising.

"It seems as if they think we are already at the top," he whispered to Také, "But they're not coming down…"

Suddenly, a soldier appeared climbing down and suddenly stopped, bewildered at the sight he was seeing. Také burst in front, pushing under the Matoran's legs and flipping him over. Beisbeis flinched as the body collided with the ground and caused the narrow passageway to echo.

"C'mon, they might've heard that," he whispered, and Také obediently followed behind, anxiously watching from behind.

Moonlight bathed over the Matoran as they came to the Upper Level entrance. The guard on watched turned around with a surprised expression.

"You're not –"

At the sound of the guard, Beisbeis punched his abdomen, rendering him silent for a few moments. Using their advantage, the two Matoran burst to the right and up the stairs to the walkway along the wall. The guard at the top drew his sword, but Beisbeis quickly swung his mace under his feet and yanked forward. The mace grabbed the leg, tripping the guard, while the two runaways burst over him and onto an empty walkway. Far away, Beisbeis and Také could hear the voices of an officer heard shouting, "Quickly, shoot them, before they escape!"

An archer next to him shook his head. "He's a captain – we can't shoot him!"

The Matoran turned to the soldier. "You can if he's a criminal – now hurry, or you'll be searching for him in the night!"

A few moments later, arrows whistled past Beisbeis and Také, narrowly missing them. Both stopped at the corner, while Beisbeis turned to Také.

"Go, go!" he urged. Také nodded, and leapt off of the building. A few moments later, his Miru shown as the Matoran hovered over the underbrush, waiting for the captain. Beisbeis grabbed his Volo Lutu Launcher, blindly took aim, and launched the small ball of Protodermis. He was jerked forward off the battlement as he caught the sphere in the launcher once again. Unfortunately, he still had a few more feet to fall. Beisbeis fell with a pain in his back. Despite the twinge, he picked himself up to avoid arrows from archers at the top that sank deep into the ground all around him. The captain quickly began running away from his home that he had known his entire life.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The tide of the beach washed over the grains of sand, back and forth, as it had always done since the beginning of Time. Slowly the earth eroded away into the vast sea. The Matoran stood at the head, observing the stars. He wore a tan Rau to match his slightly dark brown body. The mask was a mask he cherished for his occupation – stargazing. The stars had always given him his peace in his life; now, however, he studied the sky with great anticipation, referring to the book that contained all the prophecies concerning the Red Star, the brightest star in the Mata Nui sky.

"The Star is linking with a legend that says war will come to BZ-Koro," he whispered to himself, "But it sounds as if war is coming to us _now_, and – "

Suddenly a noise from the sea caused him to lower his head. There were shapes jumping from the various strips of land jutting from the sea, coming towards them. As they came closer, the astronomer's eyes widened. He gasped horrifyingly.

The Bohrok were coming.

The Matoran turned and sprinted for the soldier outpost. They needed to know about this, before the Bohrok's terror would come.

The astronomer could hear a small rumble behind him. They were coming for him!

The Matoran quickened his pace, and glanced behind him. He could not see anything.

The noises stopped. His sprint slowed a run, a jog; and then stopped. Something was going on…

Suddenly, he was slammed to the ground. Red eyes and a Krana VU glowed back at him as he raised his claw. The astronomer gasped, his heart thumping, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Chikt-chikt-chikt-chikt- "

It was the last thing the astronomer ever heard.

_The Lehrak dropped the limp body and watched as it sank into the sand, the poisons already working on the corpse. _

_Silently the Swarms advanced to the outpost nearby._

_Their mission was succeeding_.


	4. Part I, Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The lights of BZ-Koro were brightly piercing the silent night. Half a kio away, Beisbeis stood in a small clearing, his breathing slightly harder than usual. He had been hardly running for five minutes, but he had already lost Také. He scanned through the small woods with his Akaku, and settled upon a bundle of heat that was nearing him. He could wait until Také found him.

Soon, a glowing Miru landed on the ground, the light slowly fading away. Také turned to the captain.

"Are you all right?" Beisbeis nodded.

"Right enough. And you?"

Reluctantly, Také's arm turned to reveal a small wound. Beisbeis' brow furrowed.

"What happened?"

"An archer got lucky and grazed me," he said, smiling weakly, "Don't worry. I've had worse, and I always was a fast healer." Beisbeis smirked.

"But you've never been injured while on the run, have you?" Beisbeis turned back to focus on the bandage.

"No, no, really, you don't have to do that – " Také stuttered. Beisbeis answered with a glare. Také sighed as Beisbeis carefully bandaged the gash with strips ripped from his cloak.

"Speaking of being 'on the run', where should we go now?" Beisbeis' looked behind Také's shoulder, his mechanical eye whirling forward, adjusting his vision.

"Let's just get out of here – there's a party of soldiers coming, and they'll find us soon if we don't leave."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis and Také sprinted on east through the dark woods, watching the sun pierce through the fog. Soon, grassy paths gave way to sandy dunes - the huge stretch of sandy expanse of beach lay before them to the left and right. Také sighed and sat down on a tree root.

" Y'know, I wonder why Niwan reacted the way he did; shouldn't he have been wanting to help us?"

Beisbeis didn't answer; his attention was to tracks close to the water. Také noticed what he was looking at and leapt off the gnarled root to look.

"Thin tracks… it looks like each foot has two of them… look, there's a huge group of them over here!"

The captain's blood froze when he saw them. They were unmistakable, after so many months of hating and fighting them.

The Bohrok had come.

Beisbeis burst off running the familiar beach that he had taken whenever he traveled to Mata Nui, with Také slightly behind leaping in the air once in a while to scout ahead. The tracks were at least a few hours old; they might be able to catch them in time, wherever they were headed. After a few minutes, Také shouted out anxiously:

"There's something up ahead; it looks like a Matoran!"

Beisbeis looked around nervously, the water starting to splash at his knees. There was no difference of heat in the sand that he could see. His heart thumping hard, he ran over the last remaining sand dunes, each seeming to take forever to cross. Finally, he had reached the spot.

There was a Matoran, sprawled in the bottom of a sand hole. The mask had fallen off the face, and any color that might have been in it was gone. Beisbeis kneeled at the Matoran's side, picking up the body and finding two punctures in the stomach. A black liquid was trickling from the wounds. His heart light was dark.

"They must have been Lehvak to have poison," whispered, Také, almost to himself, "And they must have Krana VU to fly from Mata Nui…"

Beisbeis didn't answer; there was nothing he really could say. He sat in silence for a few seconds, the initial shock from this new discovery slowly ebbing away. The Matoran had never seen an innocent BZ-Koran dead before. His breathing began to slow; he brought the dead Matoran's head to his, embraced it for a few seconds, and then laid the body in the sand. The captain raised the Matoran's Kanohi, a Rau, and placed it gently back on the face. He grabbed a piece of bark from the forest nearby, pulled out a knife and carved something on it, although Také couldn't see what it said from where he was.

"If we survive this, I'll come for you," he whispered, his eyes closed tight as he embedded the bark into the ground. Také bowed his head in reverence. Silence overcame for a few seconds – the wind whistled through their gravesite, grains of sand slowly starting to cover the dead Matoran. Beisbeis' eyes flashed open, an unnatural red fire in his blue eyes.

"Let's go."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Matoran captain and his comrade sprinted as the scorching sun rose higher into the sky. They ran, the death of the Matoran still fresh on their minds; and by mid-afternoon, they had encompassed almost the entire eastern shoreline of The Island, and the outpost was in sight ahead.

It was really a small community rather than a single construction, with two small houses that kept the soldiers for their two weeks of watch in front of the actual outpost, which was a cylinder building with a walkway at the top. The walkway, however, was never used, since no one had attacked it before; more than anything, this was merely a stop before the soldiers continued their travels to Mata Nui. There was a small garden to the side filled with food in case of an emergency, and a road led away from the outpost to the dock at the shore for shipping anything to and from Mata Nui, along with the import and export of troops. As they lay on the last hill to the outpost, Také grabbed his bow and arrow while Beisbeis unsheathed his mace.

"Just take them by surprise and go quietly at first," he whispered to Také, "We don't know how many Bohrok are there, or even if they have left." Také nodded grimly, his eyes focusing on the right shelter. Through a shattered window a Bohrok was seen, searching for any live Matoran. The soldier notched an arrow, leaning his head to Beisbeis, waiting for his command. The Matoran nodded and started running towards the outpost.

An arrow zipped past the captain's shoulder, through the window of the hut and pierced the side of the Bohrok's neck. The Bohrok howled in pain, then fell out of view from the window. Calls from other Bohrok came from elsewhere in the area.

Beisbeis ran onto the pathway in between the houses, swinging his mace as he roared his challenge. A Bohrok stepped out of the outpost, blasting a ball of poison towards the Matoran. The captain leapt in the air and swung his mace forward as he fell and shattered the headplate and dying Krana. Three more appeared from the dock area, running at Beisbeis, but one fell from the attack with a well-shot arrow in the head.

The Bohrok screeched as weapons collided. Claws tried gripping the mace and ejecting poison at the same time. The captain pulled back from the push, and as the Bohrok fell to the ground, its headplate opened, flinging the Krana at Beisbeis. The Matoran panicked as the Krana latched to his leg and slowly started inching up his body. Seizing the opportunity, the remaining Bohrok leapt onto Beisbeis and grabbed his neck. The Matoran's heart pounded faster as the grip grew tighter and tighter…

Suddenly, the Bohrok screamed, falling to its side, a knife in its back. Beisbeis massaged his neck, still breathing hoarsely as Také came and quickly stabbed the remaining Krana with his dagger.

A hideous scream broke the silence. It came from the outpost.

"Wait here," the captain said to Také, coming to his mace and bringing it to a defensive position, "I'll be back soon."

Také said nothing, confused as Beisbeis entered the outpost. A huge breeze blew on Také from the west as he sat down, his anxiety starting to grow. If the Bohrok had left a swarm to protect the outpost, there were three missing…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis quietly entered the outpost, his Akaku scanning back and forth. There didn't seem to be any Bohrok that he could see. Satisfied, Beisbeis crept forward, his grip tightening on the mace, swinging it left to right.

Suddenly, a Bohrok leapt to the right of him, its claws swinging wildly, hissing. Beisbeis on instinct threw himself backwards as the Bohrok fell to its stomach, surprised at its' opponent's move. The Matoran swung his mace upwards into the headplate, shattering it and creating a hole in the Krana. The Krana began the familiar process of dissolving away as Beisbeis' thumping heart yet again began to slow down.

'I didn't even see it in my Akaku,' he thought. 'Don't be so foolish, Beisbeis… take things a little slower.'

Now that he was sure that he was the only one in the room, he took his first glance around it. He had passed his way through here, but he had never actually had orders to come here, so he had never been in this room. Barrels of weapons and water lay toppled and strewn over the wrecked dirt floor where many bodies of Matoran were lying everywhere, some trampled over in the confusion of footprints inside the building. It was obvious on the looks on their faces that they had died in pain and shock. Beisbeis sighed and bowed his head, depressed that he could not have sooner.

A moan from above him caught Beisbeis' attention, and his head perked up, listening more intently. He grabbed his mace out of the Bohrok and climbed the stairs in the back of the building that lead outside onto the platform overlooking all of the land around the outpost, which included the dock to the sea. The moan came out again, and this time it was in the room that lay on the second floor behind him. Beisbeis followed the pathway to the door into the room, which lay facing the front.

When he came inside, he found the officer's quarters destroyed. Papers lay scattered about; the officer lay dead in his chair, two small holes in his stomach, dried blood on his chin. A cough came from behind the chair, and Beisbeis' mace instantly went to his position, his heart thumping.

Suddenly, something grabbed him from behind and tossed him to the floor. Beisbeis felt a searing pain in his back, and he tried to free himself, but his enemy was too strong…

'_Mata Nui, this can't be how I go…_'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Take looked around the outpost. After five minutes, fighting could be heard inside the building. Také gripped his weapons, and ran through the destroyed entrance of protodermis. There was already a dead Bohrok lying near the front, but Také kept his dagger nearby as he ran up the stairs.

When he reached the room, he found a Bohrok standing over something. Instantly, the dagger flew out of his hand and into the monster's back. It fell, howling to its side. The soldier crawled and gasped when he found his captain breathing hoarsely, two holes piercing his side. Také quickly squeezed the skin. To his relief, pure blood, and not poison, came out of the wound. Quickly, he stopped the bleeding and wrapped a piece of cloth around the two holes. Beisbeis breathing began to slow down as he slowly got up, staggered for a moment, whispered, "Thanks," and began to search the cough's origin.

He found a young private over his dead officer, covered in congealed blood, his breathing also ragged. Beisbeis leaned over the Matoran and began to strip the clothes off of the body. When the soldier noticed Beisbeis and Také, he began to panic. His breathing became short and jarred like a broken record because of his crying.

"I – I d – do – nh – t – wah - ant – t – t – to die – "

Beisbeis dropped his mace and rushed to his aid. It only took one look before he realized it was too late for him. He was amazed he had lasted this long.

"Calm down," he whispered, trying to comfort both of them, "Y – You're not gonna go – "

"I don't wanna – _I don't wanna – Ama – Ama – " _Tears streamed down the private's face. His speech was hardly discernable; he began to shake uncontrollably.

"Calm down, buddy – _you have to calm down_," Beisbeis tried saying. He wondered who Ama was. "You're making it worse –" But the young Matoran would not listen.

"_No! No! NO!_"

The Matoran screamed out, his eyes filled with terror.

"_Nnnoo!_"

Shrieks of pain filled the small room. Beisbeis could feel his own heart bursting out of his body.

"Nh… "

The Matoran exhaled, and his arms slowly lessened their tense grip. Soon, the arms fell to the ground and the soldier's eyes stared back, lifeless. Beisbeis stood there for a moment, tears flowing from his eyes, his mind disbelieving as he shook his head. Také gripped his shoulder nervously, his eyes also watering.

"C'mon, let's get out of here."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_The remaining Bohrok watched the two Matoran leave the outpost, and then climbed the building himself. It watched the two hike into the Pöuri forest and noticed the burning trees to the south of them. There was a chance that they would see the rest of the swarm before it was time. It must warn the swarms of the impeding danger. Anything that was necessary to complete the mission._

_The Bohrok exited the outpost and hurried to the southwest, leaving a trail of death and pain behind it._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis stumbled along through the Pöuri forest, staring at the damp, dark ground in front of him. Také watched his leader hesitantly before he called to him.

"…Beisbeis?" He asked. Beisbeis continued walking. "Beisbeis?"

The captain's head snapped out of his trance at looked at back at the Matoran. "Yes, Také?"

"Are you all right?" Také inquired hesitantly. Beisbeis nodded vigorously, but he did not meet his eyes and turned back to face forward. He was still preoccupied with the young soldier's death. He had seen lifeless corpses; but he had never had to hold death in his arms, to watch a life become extinguished.

Také opened his mouth to say something and closed it after a few seconds; instead, he held out his arm and placed it on Beisbeis' shoulder. Beisbeis' head jolted backwards to look at Také once more and smiled slightly before he twisted back once again. He didn't want to preoccupy himself with it; Také had to see that he was fine, that he could lead. That was what mattered.

As he turned his head, however, he noticed something that he hadn't confirmed before. Every twisted, entwining tree with dark green leaves and shady branches looked the same as the one in front, to the side, and behind them. They were lost.

While he scanned the background, he noticed a bright light coming to the left of them. The sun was illuminating an enormous boulder embedded into the soil.

"Také," he whispered, "Go over there and tell what you see. I'll meet you in a few seconds." Také nodded and levitated to the branches. Beisbeis watched him leap from tree to tree before he started after him.

When he reached the boulder, Beisbeis noticed how strange it was for this enormous rock to be where it was. It was in a small clearing, away from the forest. Moss covered the entire face, giving a sense that the rock was alive, also. As he gazed at the spectacle, Beisbeis saw Také standing at the top, surveying the land.

"Come on down," the captain whispered, "There's a chance that someone might see you."

The Matoran leapt off of the side of the rock face. Beisbeis flinched; he and heights did not agree with each other often, especially after jumping off BZ-Koro's battlements. Také's Miru, however, began glowing as he descended, allowing him to softly contact the ground beneath him, next to Beisbeis.

"I think we already have been seen," The Matoran said nervously. Beisbeis immediately spun around and used his Akaku to sense a low level of heat all around them. They were being surrounded. Instinctively, Beisbeis grabbed his mace, ready to attack, and murmured quietly to Také, "Keep your eye out. There's something around, watching us; keep your guard up, and don't run if it comes out."

They went another ten bio to the left, when suddenly a rustle was heard from the trees. Beisbeis readied his mace, but his falling enemy jumped from the tree before he was ready. The Matoran was slammed to the ground before he knew it, and quickly fell into darkness.


	5. Part I Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_I open my eyes to a dim sunset fading in the west. A breeze blew into my face as I stand on the BZ-Koro wall, watching some Matoran climb the steps and grew larger every second._

But how did I get here? And what was this all about? As I ponder these thoughts in my mind, a deafening crash jerks my head to the south. A great smoke starts to billow from the Pöuri forest.

_"Get some more men up here!" One of the Matoran yells. Two soldiers quickly dash down the steps to fulfill the command. I notice the cloud of smoke is moving close - too close. Trees are falling to the side; a roar is heard from the heat._

_A faint answer comes from Mount Rûn, followed by another explosion, the smoke concealing the sun. The panic in the city elevates as some start screaming from the frightening sights. Another snap from a tree spins me around, rooted to the spot in shock._

_Scores of swarms of Bohrok leave the protection of the forest, steadily approaching the city. I see that the Lehvak are not alone anymore; Tahnok, burning all in their sight, and Pahrak, uprooting the Earth, join them on their way to destruction. I try grabbing behind me for my mace, but my arms refuse to move. I watch in horror as a Lehvak floats onto the wall and slash a guard's stomach. The soldier stares at his bleeding wound in disbelief, then falls off the height and with a sickening thud hits the ground as more Matoran begin to climb the steps._

The Bohrok waste no time in the massacre. More Lehvak fly onto the wall, quickly silencing anyone coming to them. The Tahnok quickly brought the wooden door in flames, while the Pahrak started to smash the walls. I watch in horror as each new wave of Matoran is easily wiped away by the ever-increasing numbers of Bohrok. The bodies on the steps swiftly grow beyond; tears welled up in my eyes as I weep for each of these deaths to a world that could not see me.

_Suddenly, a Pahrak swerved around and finally seemed to notice me, as if I had appeared out of nowhere. I watched, heart pounding as the Bohrok ran to me, and with a loud "Chikt!" I was thrown over the wall, the Bohrok under me looming closer, until I hit – _

Beisbeis burst up onto the pad he was laying on; sweat dripping and tears pouring; although with his face drenched, he couldn't really tell one from the other. Gasping for breath, he wiped the liquid onto his hand, wondering what in Mata Nui's name this nightmare meant.

"Sir? Are you all right?"

Beisbeis snapped out of his state to find a teal Miru staring back at him.

"Yeah…I'm okay, Také." The captain tried standing up, but complete exhaustion overtook him as he quickly collapsed onto the dusty ground. Také immediately helped support Beisbeis onto a tree root and revealed a canteen of water, feeling uncomfortable.

"Are you sure you're all right, sir? You looked like you were having a fit or something…"

Beisbeis' eyes shot open as he sat up propped up on the tree and was given the canteen. Did he know what was in his dream, as well?

"I…I don't know what you mean…" Také's eyebrows sank in concern.

"Sir, if you need me to talk to you about anything – "

"I will, thanks," Beisbeis said abruptly, wanting to get out of this conversation. There was no need to worry Také any more than he had already done so. It was just a bad dream – that was all…

Disappointed, Také sat back down awkwardly. After a minute or so, another Matoran ran up and saluted nervously. A blue Hau covered his nervous face. His body was a light, almost pastel blue; his restless hands were white. Beisbeis simply nodded; he was too tired to do anything else.

"What's your name?"

"Sori, First Class Lieutenant, sir," The Matoran began nervously, "And the leader of the hunting expedition that left BZ-Koro two weeks ago."

Beisbeis sighed, relieved that they found some possible help in the fight - but he was still curious about something. "Who ambushed us in the forest?"

Sori shifted uncomfortably. "…We were the ones that did that."

Beisbeis' eyebrows raised, but Sori continued, "We thought you were Bohrok. They ambushed us and we've been trying to follow them through the forest to see where they were going. We lost them after a while and had to give up the search because some of our men were wounded."

Beisbeis sighed once and slowly pushed himself up from his resting spot, reaching for his mace and pack, his face showing the pain he feeling as he stood up. Také watched intently, while Sori was confused.

"What are you doing, sir?"

Beisbeis glanced up at him for a moment, and then continued grabbing his items.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I think that for a soldier, it would be obvious," he said curtly. Sori shook his head in disbelief.

"Sir, a wound in the arm, head and torso can kill a Matoran, let alone knock him out for several days. You have no strength left, and can barely stand as is. Get some rest before you travel."

Beisbeis stood straight and stared at the Lieutenant. "Every minute we stay here, the Bohrok move closer BZ-Koro and its destruction." Sori still shook his head.

"How do we know the Bohrok will come? How do we know that they know we exist?"

Beisbeis immediately dropped his things and grabbed the Matoran by his collar, dropping his voice to a deadly whisper.

"Listen, Lieutenant. For the past three days, I have known the Bohrok knew where we were and that they were coming. No one that was not with me at the time it happened has believed me - _absolutely no one_. I've been shot at, fallen off a wall, ran an entire night, nearly been decapitated multiple times, been stabbed in my stomach, and now knocked unconscious. You're right, my body can't take much more without help, but I'm going to fight the Bohrok no matter what else happens. Are you going to help me, or not?"

Dead silence covered the grove as Sori, surprise and fear flooding his eyes, nodded after a few seconds. Beisbeis let go of his collar, grabbed his pack, and looked down at the Lieutenant; he was staring vaguely at no particular place at all, resentment starting to come through.

"Just give me a squadron right now, and the rest of your group can leave for BZ-Koro when you have rested - but leave tonight at the very latest." Sori began to regain his composure as he nodded once more. Beisbeis turned to Také sitting on the root. The soldier stood up quickly, clearly shaken by his leader's change of attitude.

"I'll go get the squad, sir."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis slowly walked though the dense underbrush of the forest, going from boulder to bush. As he scanned the area with his Akaku, he signaled behind him. Forty more Matoran along with Také slowly crept behind looking apprehensively through the foliage. One soldier with a maroon-like Ruru right behind him quietly grumbled to his neighbor, "He's been doing this for the past hour! Why is he just wasting time?"

Beisbeis silently turned around and stopped the group. He stared at the complainer.

"What's you name, soldier?"

The Matoran, realizing he had heard him, suddenly began to stammer. The others held their breath, watching the outcome unfold.

"My – my - name is Khora, Private, sir, but – but I didn't –"

Beisbeis raised his eyebrows. "Do you wish to become an officer someday, Khora?" Khora chanced a small smile.

"Well, if I could, then yes, sir." Beisbeis turned away, scanning the area.

"And why do you think BZ-Koro chooses the officers that they do? Hmm?" The captain turned to Khora again, his cold eyes staring harshly. "Maybe because they know what to do and when to do it, and to not run blindly in a dangerous situation?" Khora shifted uncomfortably.

"…Yes, sir…"

Beisbeis stared for a few seconds then turned away. The company breathed once more. After a few more seconds of surveying, he turned to Také.

'I've been noticing with my Akaku an excessive amount of heat over together in the north. I'm almost sure now that they are Bohrok - which is why I'll need you to lead some archer Matoran behind where and surround them except to the north. From here, I'm assuming it appears they have quite a few more than us, but if they try to escape through the opening, the swordsman will be ready to take them out, and finish them there. Again, surprise is the element, here – you've proven that you know what to do, Také." Také nodded silently, elated by the compliment and turned to gather the archers.

As the company began to march, Beisbeis noticed Khora staring into the forest, still put out by Beisbeis' remark. The captain came to the Matoran, patting him on the shoulder.

"Come on, let's keep going."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_A Tahnok stood at the burned field, listening for sound from the silent forest, awaiting orders from its commander._

Clean it all. It must be cleaned.__

Another Tahnok, a squad leader, came to stand side by side to the other Bohrok.

Not the entire island. We must search for what the Bahrag want for the mission._ The first one nodded._

And then it will be cleaned. And it will be as it was, in the Before-Time.__

A loud shout came from the forest, and the last thing the Bohrok saw was arrows flying everywhere into the swarm. One shot into its headplate, lost to its sight, and black slowly enveloped its vision.

It will be cleaned…

As the Bohrok tried to escape the only way not shooting arrows at them, Beisbeis yelled one more time, "Now!"

Suddenly, Matoran leapt out from behind the many bushes and immediately began slaughtering the surprised Bohrok. Také and surrounding archers quickly began volleying shots everywhere into the group of Bohrok. After a few minutes, the Bohrok began to regroup and to take revenge by grabbing the nearest Matoran. Khora watched in shock as their claws erupted in flames and almost instantly enveloped the captives – people he _knew_ - in fire.

Beisbeis, hearing the screams of pain, feared for their lives and called, "Hold back! Get to a distance where they can't reach you! Archers, keep firing!"

The fires however spread and surrounded some of the soldiers. Beisbeis noticed the dire situation and shouted, "Hurry - help them out of there!"

Five Matoran ran out to help their comrades, while the Bohrok quickly seized the chance to regroup. Beisbeis whistled. "Everyone - follow me!"

The scrambled regiment ran on the rocky terrain southwest, while the archers leapt through the treetops. The captain did not notice where he was until he looked up and saw the familiar moss-covered rocks. They were back at the boulders, where he and Také were first seen. They could be used to their advantage. Beisbeis halted them and said, "There, all archers and spearmen - quickly, to the top of the rocks! Let's see if they can withstand one more surprise attack!" Také nodded, and the archers began scaling the edifice as fast as their legs would allow. Beisbeis and the remaining swordsmen moved out of sight behind the boulders, readying their swords, also.

After a few minutes, the Bohrok came charging through the forest, then suddenly stopped, just out of the trees. One Bohrok JA was sent out to scout around; the Matoran took aim, but Také shook his head and pointed to the much smaller swarm of Bohrok just barely in range. Silently he pulled back his string, aimed at the farthest one, and released it with a twang.

The arrow whooshed through the air and sank deep into the Bohrok's neck. A hideous screech echoed through the forest, and the Swarm looked up to see their enemies - only too late for some. Arrows zipped into their targets, while some Tahnok tried to blast fire onto the Matoran. Stepping back, Také watched the fire burn high onto the rock, then slowly die away before it reached the top; this time they were too high to be caught in the flames.

The Bohrok realized this rather quickly, and started their way around the boulder. Také watched them tromp through the damp soil and called out, "Sir! They're coming!"

Beisbeis gripped his mace hard, heart thumping, ready for them; but there was no sound coming from the Bohrok. Silently, he nodded, and the group slowly went around, waiting for Bohrok. The captain heard Také yell, "Watch out, sir!" and moved just in time to see a Tahnok fall, its Krana VU sliding out of the headplate, while the remaining Bohrok came out from behind the rocks.

"Hurry! Finish them off!" Beisbeis shouted, while grabbing his dagger and throwing it into the few still alive. Také and the archers quickly finished off the remaining Bohrok and hurried to the ground, while Beisbeis and his swordsman began destroying the Krana. While they hacked away, the captain counted the remainder of the squadron still standing. He dropped his hand in disbelief.

"Only twenty-five?" he whispered to himself. He sighed, and after a few seconds, turned to a Matoran about to slaughter a Krana.

"Wait, don't kill that one. Let me take it." The soldier, confused, watched Beisbeis pick up the Krana gingerly and place in his pack. Beisbeis stood up, pointed to a group and issued out commands.

"You, please bury your fallen comrades. And make sure you write down their names, also - we do not want to forget them." Beisbeis tried hard to not to reveal tears from under his mask, again, but he quickly shook it off. "After you are done, wait for Sori to come and meet you." They silently nodded and began to run to the encampment. The captain turned to the other remaining Matoran; most were grouped together, sharpening their weapons or keeping a watch for more Bohrok. Khora, however, was a few bios away from the group, on a stone; as Beisbeis drew closer to him, he could see his body shaking uncontrollably. The captain was reminded of himself, some years ago, when he, too, had to overcome the shock of fighting in battle.

"Are you all right, Khora?" He whispered as he sat down next to the private. Khora turned to face him; his whole body jerked wildly as he distinctly shook his head. Beisbeis put his arm around his shoulder.

'My friends – they j-just – I can't st-stay - " He jabbered quickly, and shivered slightly. Tears rolled down his cheek. Beisbeis sighed and looked into the forest before them.

"I've had some of my friends die in battle, too; and although it was painful, the only way I survived is because I knew giving up now could not be an option. I'm going to need you for the rest of this war, Khora; we are going to need all the help we can get. There will be a time to mourn for your friends. Letting their deaths fuel fear and shape your actions, however, will not do anything for you right now except let you be a casualty."

The two Matoran sat for a few seconds, the rest of the group still packing. Khora slowly nodded, wiped his face, and turned to Beisbeis.

"Thank you, sir."

Beisbeis smiled. "You're welcome."

Také quickly came up and interrupted the quiet moment. "The squadron is ready to move, sir."

"Good, good," Beisbeis said. He stood up and began his walk pack to his pack and weapons.

"Excuse me, sir," asked Také curiously, "But where are we going to go now?" Beisbeis turned to him, his eyes bright blue. He sheathed his mace as he turned to point north.

"We're going back to BZ-Koro."


	6. Part I, Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The city of BZ-Koro was awake with the sounds of guards and patrols changing their shifts for some much-wanted sleep. It had been three days since the former captain Beisbeis and his partner Také had disappeared; and so far nothing had been heard of from the search parties, which didn't please the Council very much.

High on the gray walls of BZ-Koro the guards stood, watching the surrounding area to the South. After a few moments of silence, one turned to the other and whispered in his ear, glancing around to see if any officers were nearby.

"Y'know, I'm starting to get rather sick standing watch here, and in fact of this whole 'rogue Matoran' business." He yawned deeply and continued, "I mean, I've had maybe twelve hours of sleep since this whole business got started. What does the Council want with them anyway?"

The other sentry shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I dunno. All I've heard from everyone else is he's done something with the Bohrok."

The first guard's eyes widened from this news. "About the Bohrok?"

His partner shook his head gently. "But that's only a rumor, and no one 'cept the Council is exactly sure of what's going on. Besides, when we find 'em, we'll get the sleep we deserve from watching." The first guard sighed.

"I'm just hoping it won't be too long…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The trees swayed viciously from the violent wind as the straggled group of Matoran slowly made their way north, through the Pöuri forest. Beisbeis' cloak whipped around in the breeze, much to his irritation. Yet he was not alone; the other members of the band were quickly blown around from the gusts. After arriving at some small caves near the site of their original fight – they could see the flames from the Tahnok were almost dead after a few hours of burning - it was heartily agreed to rest until the winds subsided.

Také fell onto the smooth and cool soil, exhausted by the fierce breeze, when he noticed Beisbeis near the entrance, staring into the forest. He stood up and sat on a nearby boulder, still sheltered by the breeze.

"What's wrong, sir?" Beisbeis glared into the harsh wind, shifting his focus through his mask every couple seconds.

"Well, I've been looking for more Bohrok swarms after our skirmish with the rest of them… but I haven't seen anything ever since we left there." Také sat next to Beisbeis, looking to the outside. "It's – well - unsettling… I know there would be more Bohrok coming after us; that's the only way the Bohrok fight." Beisbeis sighed, exhausted. "It would be nice to know what they planning now." Také stared at Beisbeis for a few quiet moments. Také opened his mouth hesitantly.

"Don't worry about it, sir. You'll figure it out. I know you will." The soldier turned slightly pink, as he said, "Just don't be so reserved. Holding stuff inside isn't good for you."

Beisbeis watched Také with a small smile on his face as he nodded quietly, although he didn't look at the soldier's eyes. After a few seconds, he sighed quietly and turned to face the Matoran.

"I'm glad don't have to worry with you, Také. You're one of the only men I can truly trust here. You're a good soldier." Také's eyes averted to the ground, cheeks turning red from the praise.

"Thank you, sir."

A few more seconds passed.

"Speaking of men - " The captain shuffled his feet nervously, "Have you heard any… talk from them about me?" Také shook his head curiously.

"They're still faithful to you, sir, if that's what you mean." Beisbeis nodded, his fear alleviated.

"Thank you, Také. That's what I wanted to hear. Go get some rest before we set off again."

"Yes sir." The soldier began turning around, satisfied with Beisbeis' command.

"Také."

"Yes, sir?" Beisbeis raised his eyebrows.

"Don't call me sir." Také gave a wide grin.

"Of course… sir."

Beisbeis was glad that Také had not lost his sense of humor.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The guard stood on the battlement, finally getting a chance to put his cape back on to keep him warm. The winds almost blew it off last time. He shivered grudgingly. His shift ended at sundown, and that fiery ball surely had never taken so long to go down behind the mountain. He gave a quick yawn as he glanced out over the forest.

Suddenly, he looked back over the landscape. Was that what he thought he saw? He watched the area carefully until he saw them. He gasped, turned around, and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Hurry, get a squad out here! _They're coming!_"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fifteen minutes later, the Council of BZ-Koro sat in silence as a lieutenant stood at attention, awaiting their command for information. The doors screeched open as Niwan walked briskly to his seat.

"Was the capture quiet and without disruption, lieutenant?" He asked sharply as he continued walking. The officer nodded.

"Yes, sir. The captain and others that were with him came without resistance. None of the civilians saw him brought in."

The Main Matoran furrowed his eyebrows. "There were more than just the renegade and the other Matoran?"

"Yes, sir. There were nine of them altogether, including some officers. The seven others with him are believed to be members of Sori's hunting group that set out a week ago."

The Main Matoran sighed frustratingly. "Great. He's convinced others to join his cause," he muttered under his breath. He nodded to the officer.

"Any items?"

"Just there, sir." The lieutenant signaled to a Matoran off to the side. He brought forward Beisbeis' mace, his pack, and the other various weapons the Matoran carried. One of the Council Matoran pointed to the pack.

"What's in that?"

The lieutenant hesitated for a moment, then took the pack, turned it over, and opened the flap. The Krana came sliding out and onto the floor.

A large collective gasp came from everyone in the room. Fear entered into everyone's eyes. There was a long silence before people began chattering, everyone with their own opinions.

"Mata Nui! Did you see how big that was?"

"How did _that_ show up?"

"What does this all mean?"

"Could he have been telling the truth?"

"No, he can't have been telling the truth. There's no reasonable explanation for his disappearance." Everyone suddenly became silent as the Main Matoran began stating his thoughts out loud. "He could not have come to Mata Nui and back that fast; and besides there's the fact that he surrendered willingly and kept this Krana and the Bohrok a secret to himself and his comrade until now." The Matoran next to him folded his arms disbelievingly.

"So you're saying he and the group he was with joined the Bohrok?" Niwan's head rose grimly up and down.

"It's the perfect opportunity. He's the only captain in the city at the moment right now; he knows everything about this city… It's disappointing that after so much he has done for this city he would choose such a path, but, yes, that is what he must be doing." His neighbor Council member still had something on his mind, though.

"But where could he have gotten the Krana? You said yourself he could not have traveled to Mata Nui so fast…"

Another Matoran jumped in the debate before individual voices overcame the discussion.

"I hate to say this, but it's possible that the Bohrok _are_ actually here on the island - the only part of the story he might have been telling the truth on. He could easily have taken a Krana, planning to infect one or more of our Matoran, until he could start to take over the city."

"So what do we do now?"

The Main Matoran thought silently for a moment, his face covered by one of his heads, and slowly began speaking.

"For now, fellow Matoran, I believe we should keep full watch on Beisbeis and his comrades. Something's going on, and they're in the middle of all of this. Meanwhile, we will watch for the Bohrok – but something still tells me they are here, regardless of the Krana we have. Meanwhile, this will remain confidential. Not a word about this will be spoken to the civilians of BZ-Koro. I don't want panic spreading through the city." Niwan glanced somberly around the domed room, and then nodded.

"Council adjourned."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Silence fell over the city. A foreboding gloom settled over everyone. A guard next to four other stood over the west side, overlooking the fields stretching forever until Mount Rûn came in view, beginning to cover the sun. The Matoran squinted. He thought he had seen an explosion - but it must have been from the sun. It always did things like that.

Suddenly, a louder blast from the south threw the Matoran off his feet. It deafened his ears, but he quickly regained his composure.

"_What in the world was that_?" he shouted over the roar. Someone else bellowed, "Get some men over here!"

Two of the Matoran nodded and began the steps down. The other soldiers gripped their weapons, wondering what going on.

"Look, there's another one!"

Another blast came from Mount Rûn, much larger than the first one. A soldier pointed back to the forest, however, shock spreading over his body.

"Look… look…"

The edge of the forest began overflowing with Bohrok heading straight towards the city. The guard looked back urgently.

"Get the men up now! There's no time!"

Within a few minutes, the Bohrok had reached the walls. A Lehvak leapt onto the battlement, and before one of the Matoran could react, a claw zipped through the air and through the stomach. The soldier gasped for air, and for a few seconds stared at his red wound. His eyes glazed over, his legs gave way, and the Matoran swayed backwards into air. His body collided with the solid wall and the Council building's roof three times while falling before a sickening crack rent the air, with the corpse lying over the splintered remains of a crate.

One of the Matoran shouted while unsheathing his sword and slicing an arm off of the attacker. The beast shrieked as it succumbed to the soldier; but as its strength left it, another Bohrok leapt onto the wall and claimed revenge for the fallen, but now forgotten. The next Matoran fell to the ground, a thin line of blood on his neck.

The remaining guard stood frozen, dropping his spear, terrified to move. He was fortunate, however; the reinforcements had finally arrived, shouting their own cries. However, as they came climbing up the steps, more Bohrok flew onto the top, while a Tahnok quickly ignited his claws - and the Matoran along with it. The remaining soldier's ears were quickly deafened by the noise from the Bohrok, his heart pounding horribly.

Suddenly, a Bohrok glanced at this odd creature surrounded by his kind. The Matoran's heart went into his throat as the Bohrok charged and shoved him out of the way and off the top. After a few seconds of screaming and clawing into nothing but air, the body hit the swerving mass of teeth, claw and Krana, and was quickly ravaged by the Bohrok swarms, never to be seen whole again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The captain leapt from his laying position, shock overflowing his face. "They're here," he hissed. In the adjacent cell, Také ran to the front, turning his head to the side.

"Someone's coming!"

The Matoran watching the prison ran up the stairs. A slight scuffle was heard. The guard fell down the steps, his head rolling to the side, dead. Beisbeis stood up, gripping the bars firmly. A Tahnok stepped over the body and, glancing over the anxious prisoners, shrieked and turned back again.

Beisbeis couldn't lose this chance; he had to get out and defend the city. The captain started rattling the bars and started shouting as loud as he could. The noise echoed through the cell, and the Bohrok stopped, confused by the sound. It stepped back into the prison, trying to decipher where it came from. Beisbeis stopped for a moment as the noise dispersed, and then kicked the door one last time.

The Bohrok's body whipped around again, finally knowing the source of its uncertainty. It strode over to Beisbeis' cell, and with a "Chikt!" it tried to grab him and instead grabbed onto the bars, which immediately began to turn bright red.

The captain felt the heat flow through the air, until at last the bars began to melt into its liquid state, and a large hole began to form. As carefully as he could, Beisbeis swung his foot into the Bohrok's belly, and as the artificial creature bent down, out of breath, the Matoran clasped his hands and swung as hard as he could onto the large head. The impact stunned the Bohrok, who fell to the ground as its Krana slid partially out of the shattered head plate, trying to escape.

Beisbeis stepped back, sucking his hand and waving it around. The hit he gave stung his head, and he had forgotten his enemy was too hot to touch. After a few seconds of lessening the pain, Beisbeis stepped through the hole and out of his cell. He ran to the still guard and felt around for the keys. After fumbling for the correct one, Beisbeis unlocked Také's cell and handed him the rest of the untried keys, along with a dirk.

"Where'd you hide this?" Také asked, as he twirled the small knife in amazement. Beisbeis shook his head urgently.

"You don't want to know, and now's not the time. Get the rest of these guys out first," he pointed around. "I need to get up and start fighting. Follow up once you are ready and everyone is out." Také nodded, and Beisbeis sprinted out and grabbed the dead Matoran's sword. He tried gripping it uncomfortably; he never really was accustomed to fighting with anything beyond his mace – one of his weaknesses. He shook his head after a few seconds and leaped onto the stairs and into the fight.

When Beisbeis reached the top, it was a scene of horror. Bodies of Matoran lay strewn across the city ground, as the civilians ran screaming into the Lower Level, accompanied by the occasional sensible soldier who wasn't panicking like the rest of them. The Bohrok continued to ravage the Upper Level, and were quickly moving to come down to spread their havoc.

The captain sprinted to a nearby Pahrak that was busy fighting another Matoran and pierced its backside. The monster let out a scream before falling to the earth, its Krana sliding out before being sliced in half. Beisbeis lifted the sword up while patting the young soldier on the back.

"You ready to fight?" He nodded, despite all the rumors about this rumored 'madman'. "Good. Stay near me, we're going to regroup everybody now." Beisbeis acknowledged his nod and hurried towards he gate.

As the Matoran approached the gates, he encountered a horrible situation. The Bohrok began both ramming the flaming door and tunneling with the Pahrak; apparently the Nuhvok were not the only Bohrok who could dig underground to some degree. As soon as Beisbeis was close enough to see he knew immediately it was lost - the Bohrok would break through the gates and overwhelm the city through their numbers, no matter what he did. He spotted a Lehvak's claw poking through the wood, trying to claw the wood away. Without a second glance the swung his weapon and detached the claw, and the creature shrieked, barely heard over the tumult and destruction that was taking place. Even if they were going to lose, this Matoran was not going to give up without a fight. He turned to one of the Matoran and shouted to him.

"Hold this as long as you can. When they break through, get to the Lower Level. We'll decide to do there!" The Matoran nodded, but immediately afterward the gate shook violently from the ramming. A loud groaning noise could be heard as Beisbeis watched the top of the wood begin to totter over them. The captain stepped backwards as he barked his orders.

"_Get back!_"

Most of the Matoran were only too happy to comply; however, the few that were preoccupied in a fight met their doom, as the gate finally broke away and crashed over the bodies, condemning them to death. Bohrok quickly began to trample over the gates – and beneath them, the corpses – and flood the entrance to the Koro's courtyard.

"Ah - " Beisbeis had not realized there were still so many out there. It was time to give up, no matter how much he hated those words.

"Retreat! Get to the Lower Level! _Retreat!_" Even though the Matoran began to run for their lives, Beisbeis knew from the advancing swarm they might not survive.

Suddenly, another call rang out –

"Death! Death to the Bohrok!"

Také threw the dirk into the crowd as the remaining prisoners threw a volley of arrows along with him at the attacking nightmares. The front line fell to the ground, and gave the straggling Matoran on the steps barely enough time to escape. Those unfortunate few still alive on the battlements were quickly outnumbered and given a horrible end.

Beisbeis was the last to descend. The city began to explode from the fires as the Bohrok leaped for the hole. The captain quickly snapped the supports, and rolled onto the staircase as the slab of protodermis above him thudded over the hole.

As Beisbeis rose up himself from the collision, he suddenly realized the fatal flaw in his plan. He had just sealed the only escape route they had even a minute chance to get out of.

They were trapped.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cahdok and Gahdok laid in their enormous cavern, surrounded by protodermis that increased their elemental powers. A small Lehvak Va entered the room and began reciting what he had been told to say. None of the Bohrok questioned why they had to report to the Bahrag when they could simply use their minds to see, mainly because they couldn't reason themselves. It had just been that way forever, and they could not question the minds of their Mothers.

Cahdok nodded after the Lehvak Va finished.

'Thank you for your work. You may leave.'

After the scout left, Cahdok grinned.

'The Bohrok carry out their tasks well.' Gahdok gazed into nothingness.

'Yes… soon our mission will be complete, and we may rest again.' The sound of this made Cahdok smile even more maliciously.

'Mata Nui will be as it was in the Before-Time. Mata Nui will be restored at last.' Gahdok shook her head out of her dream.

'Many Kohrak and Pahrak have lost Krana that must be replaced,' she replied. 'Accidents. Errors. Is the mission endangered?'

Cahdok shook her head, determined.

'Nothing exits on Mata Nui to interfere with our work.' With a touch of her mind she saw the destruction that awaited BZ-Koro.

'Nothing at all.'


	7. Part I, Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The city of BZ-Koro was alight from the huge fires and explosions as sections of the wall and battlement began to collapse. The Bohrok continued to ravage the city and scour the buildings for any unfortunate Matoran who did not heed the command to escape to the Lower Level. Now amidst the Tahnok, Lehvak and Pahrak the three other species could be seen in small quantity – Nuhvok, Kohrak and Gahlok, all gathering near the staircase covered by the Protodermis slab, as Nuhvok began digging around the indestructible stone.

A little less than a kio down, Také and a scout were listening to the noises into the soil. Také lifted his head off the wall and nodded curtly to the other.

"They're getting closer, Sakun – tell Beisbeis we need to make a decision soon. Go ahead, I'll be there in a minute." The scout nodded and sprinted nimbly down the steps. Také turned to the wall again. The distinctive scratching noise was becoming louder by the minute. Také sighed and turned around and began down the stairs.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The remaining militia, including the renegade group stood around in the Common Room for the Captain's main hall as Beisbeis paced the room. After what had happened, everyone – including the Council – had just made him their leader again, in hopes of an amazing and life-saving idea from him. They were disappointed when he flung up his arms in despair.

"So what should we do now?"

"Well," began someone sarcastically, "We could try and dig out of the city –"

"On, come on," another person interrupted, believing he was serious, "like we have that much time to actually dig out –"

"Hey, shut up –"

"_You_ shut up –"

The room suddenly burst out with arguments and people presenting their own ideas to an ignoring crowd. Out of frustration, Beisbeis slammed his sword hilt onto a table. The room quickly quieted down.

"Let's do this at least _semi_-civilized, please." Beisbeis sighed quickly, and then raised his hands. "First suggestion?"

Khora hesitantly raised his hand. Beisbeis nodded encouragingly.

"All right, Khora. Go ahead."

"…Well, sir, we could blow out with the Madu Cabolo we have and get out that way."

There was silence for a few seconds. A Matoran shook his head.

"He was serious this time, Khora."

Beisbeis shook his head, intrigued. "No, wait… you have an interesting idea, Khora. Please elaborate."

Khora noticed the stares of his fellow comrades as he quickly thought of what to say. "…Well, we have stocks of Madu Cabolo down here, don't we?" Beisbeis nodded. "Then we could embed them in the ceiling and have it cave in and create an escape, couldn't we? The Bohrok won't expect this, because they will be too busy trying to tunnel around the Protodermis slab."

"But we cannot risk it!" someone shouted out, "The explosion will endanger the Matoran. We cannot guarantee that they will be safe."

Khora shook his head, emboldened by his initial success. "It's better than waiting to be massacred by the Bohrok. We can get more out this way."

A Matoran suddenly burst into the room. Everyone's heads flickered to this new person, half of them starting to pull out their weapons out of sheer instinct.

"They should be past the wall in fifteen minutes, sir."

Beisbeis nodded and looked around the room. "That settles it; we don't have time to choose anything else. Khora, Také, get the Madu Cabolo out and get them in there. Let's blow our way out of here. Everyone else, inform the population. We need to get them safe." Everyone shuffled out quickly, as the scout returned to listen to the tunneling that was close to reaching its target.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cahdok sat in the enormous cavern as their children scrambled everywhere, gathering Krana to replace the lost ones all over the island. The Toa had been of late gathering the Krana to unlock the nearby Exo-Toa; but this was not as important as BZ-Koro was now.

'I can see it!' Cahdok shouted. Their telepathic abilities let them control the Bohrok's movements - even see, however faint, a muddled picture of what the Krana could see. It was a difficult task to control for a weak mind, but not for the Queens.

'They are nearly there.' Gahdok shook her long neck as she watched through another Bohrok's eyes. 'I sensing something else, though… best keep our guard up.'

Suddenly the Bohrok she inhabited flew through the air from an explosion, and the Bahrag's connection became a black emptiness. Frantically, she concentrated on anything that might be there; she could sense a lot less live Krana than five seconds before.

'What – what happened?' Cahdok asked as she, too, was scanning the area to find a Bohrok and see what had caused this. She finally found one that had been thrown off its feet but was able to walk fine. As she entered its mind, she saw numbers of Bohrok laying on the soil, some with multiple missing parts, their bodies a twisted piece of flesh. The large hole in the ground, however, was what attracted her attention the most.

'Get them!' She shouted in all the Krana's minds. '_Finish them now!_'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"All right, let's go!" Beisbeis shouted as soon as the rubble subsided. Archers quickly started up the edifice, their bows bent, ready for the inevitable attack.

"Here they come!"

A Tahnok and a Lehvak began rolling down the dirt, recklessly swinging everywhere, trying to collide with any Matoran. One was unfortunate enough to smash into the Tahnok and fly backwards, landing three bio lower than where he was. Beisbeis avenged this by swinging his sword into the rolling body, stopping the Bohrok to rear back in pain. Beisbeis pulled his weapon out of the severed back and called out, "Hurry! We don't have much time! Take two swordsmen per group!"

The Matoran quickly sprinted out the soldier's barracks where they were being kept safe. Shouts of "Come on, people, we need to go!" hurried their pace to the ruined mound of dirt rising to the surface. Beisbeis scanned a split-second before shouting, "Anybody alive?" to the archers on the hill. After some nods, he said, "Good. Form a wall with me, and we'll go up together and move whatever's in our way." A couple shouts of encouragement helped him to form the line, and within a few seconds, they charged, screaming up the hill.

However, this did not last. About halfway up, Bohrok revealed themselves from the Upper Level and instantly began expelling flames to the soldiers below. Beisbeis, disturbed by this sudden appearance, threw his sword blindly into the flames. As he cursed himself for this mistake, A Bohrok rolled under the flames, the sword through his right leg. Také seized the opportunity and shot arrows above the flames. As another fell down, Také shouted, "Throw a volley… now!"

The archers followed his example and shot above the fire to the stampeding Bohrok. As they fell down, Beisbeis yelled, "Let's go!" and grabbed his sword. The Matoran nodded and begun their ascent, just as the Bohrok began flooding out of the stairs from the Upper Level, carrying the dead Matoran's body that was listening for the Bohrok's movements. One of the soldiers began to turn around, but Beisbeis grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't stop! There will be a time to take revenge," he said, "But unless you want to die, it is not now." After a second, the soldier nodded painfully and began to climb again.

Beisbeis was the first to reach the top and find the hole surrounded by Bohrok. He swung the sword around, pushing the advancing beasts back. As soon as they did so, he pulled out a Madu Cabolo and threw it into the enemy. The result was a large explosion throwing everything off their feet, with the nearest Bohrok to the explosion had their Kranas ripped from their headplates as they sailed through the air.

As the dust settled, the Matoran began their escape, the soldiers fighting off any Bohrok that was able to stand to protect the civilians with them. Také shot arrows everywhere, but even with this massacre the Bohrok began to regroup. Beisbeis watched the monsters swarm Také's group and begin to overtake the Matoran. The captain was filled with such rage that he gripped his sword and blindly leaped screaming into the fray, swinging his weapon at anything that lived. After four Bohrok lay with some detached appendages the swarm to back up slightly, although they did not give in to the swordsmen's fierceness and let them escape.

A sudden and large explosion that came from Také answered that.

Beisbeis tried jumping up after being thrown back form the Madu Cabolo's force and flinched from the blood oozing out from his left shoulder. A bit of the skin was missing; it was painful to move it in any way, as he discovered as he tried to raise his arm to defend. Luckily, the Pahrak missed its target as the captain began to rise and Khora swung into the Bohrok's neck, bringing it down.

"Out!" Beisbeis bellowed, running to the entrance, "Retreat! Run for your lives!"

Everyone obeyed this command, whether they were engaged in combat or not. The Matoran made their way under the arch that used to support the wooden gate that was now burned to ash. Beisbeis watched the Matoran exit the city and nodded to Také as he passed by.

"Get everybody into the Pöuri forest. Understand?" Také stood for a moment, concerned as he saw Beisbeis' arm before he was pushed ahead by the frightened crowd.

Beisbeis turned back to the city. If he had known when escaped this city two days ago that he would do so again with the remnants of the Koro were crumbling and dissolving before his eyes…

Beisbeis stood, pondering for a few moments, then sighed, shook his head, and turned into the forest.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They had been walking for about fifteen minutes, Beisbeis at the rear, watching for anything that might appear. After what they had just managed to achieve the Bohrok would certainly not let them escape that easily. Beisbeis whispered to a soldier wearing a Mahiki, "Kan, signal Také to stop. I'm hearing something."

Kan slowly concentrated on Také's mind, warning telepathically to stop. As he concentrated, Také stopped, raised his hand and looked back at Beisbeis. The company caught on and halted, while Beisbeis scanned the area. He noticed the large amount of heat beginning to surround them. He nodded to Kan, and the two neared the source of the heat, their weapons raised.

Suddenly, two arms appeared, and a Matoran popped out of a bush. Beisbeis dropped his sword out of complete exhaustion, relieved that they didn't have to fight again just yet. All around them Matoran revealed themselves to Beisbeis and the group. Sori stepped out, his arms outstretched.

"Beisbeis, you're alive!"

Beisbeis sighed; his anger that he had managed to dampen down suddenly resurfaced. "Sori – what happened? Where were you when we needed you?"

Sori shook his head worriedly. "We were ambushed by Bohrok before we could break camp and catch up to you… we feared the worst…"

Beisbeis, however, noticed the confused and surprised looks on some of his soldiers' faces. Something was going on; he didn't need his Akaku to know that. The Matoran nodded, pointed further into the Pöuri forest and began walking in that direction. "We can explain everything when we reach safety. There's a cave system we used to the south a bit from here. The Bohrok shouldn't be able to spot us from there."

Sori nodded understandingly. "Of course, sir."

Beisbeis did not respond. He continued through the foliage, wondering what Sori had planned for him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It took them half an hour to reach the caves and get everyone inside and hidden from the outside. Thankfully, they did not run into any more Bohrok, although Sori warned they might still be around. As Beisbeis shepherded the last few civilians left in, he scanned the area thoroughly. His Akaku didn't sense any unnatural heat, even though the sun was beginning to rise again. Beisbeis sighed quietly, and his heart sank. It was time to talk to Sori. After taking one more glance, he turned back into the cave system and pulled out a lightstone so he could see where he was going.

He found Sori in the midst of some of his men, chatting about undecipherable things. Beisbeis coughed to acknowledge his presence. When no one apparently heard, he did it again, louder. The room suddenly went silent.

"I would like to talk to Captain Sori," he said. "_Alone_," he added, after some Matoran gave confused looks. All the Matoran, including some civilians that were setting their sleeping-places, left; with some soldiers giving an uncomfortable glance to Sori. Sori, however, apparently saw no reason to fear anything. He stood up and clapped his hands, giving a reverberating echo in the caves.

"What can I do for you, Beisbeis?" Beisbeis' lightstone showed a stern face, unchanging and staring back at Sori.

"I want you to tell me the real reason why you didn't come to help us when we needed you." Sori's smile flickered to a face of confusion.

"Didn't I tell you what had happened?"

"Oh come on, Sori, I could tell when we met up again that you made up that excuse about fighting the Bohrok. Where were your wounded?" Sori stammered, trying to find words to say.

"I… I had left them with someone else –"

"Who, then?"

Sori opened his mouth, seemingly thought better of it, and closed it again. Beisbeis' icy eyes stared the Akaku's lens.

"Why did you abandon us, then?"

Sori suddenly glared defiantly back through his blue Hau.

"Since your little outburst on me, I decided enough was enough, and I wasn't going following your command anymore. The Council also feel the same way; since you were stirring up trouble for us, they decided I am the more trustworthy between the two of us." Sori allowed himself a small smile. "So they felt it was forgivable that I let it, em _slip my mind_ and not come to the rescue, knowing they could use you one last time before they give you…" He occupied himself with his pouch for a few seconds and pulled out a small piece of flax, "…_This._"

Beisbeis looked at the front - it was written by the Council. He could also see his name on the front. Beisbeis snatched it from Sori's hand and tore it open.

_By suggestion of the Lieutenant 1st Class Sori and the Head Matoran, Niwan, the Council propose the resignation of Captain 2nd Class Beisbeis. The voting was unanimous in the affirmative, 15-0. Beisbeis will be stripped of his rank and may not continue engaging in the duties of the Army, which includes combat. This will take effect immediately._

Beisbeis' heart began racing. Here was his work – and whole life – stopped by one scrap of paper. He felt his face turning red under the mask. The Matoran looked back up at Sori. He raised his hand to salute, but Sori grabbed it before he could position it.

"I believe the proper term of respect a civilian can give to a _General_, especially a newly appointed one, is to bow," Sori whispered softly, smirking slightly.

Beisbeis hesitated, until he saw Sori's hand stray to his hilt. He began to bend his back and look down at his feet. It was hard to hear anything anymore, even the echoes from the tunnels. His face burned as he raised himself back to his normal standing position. Sori leaned close to Beisbeis' face.

"Dismissed."

Beisbeis nodded slowly after a few seconds, then turned around and stepped out of the cave. It felt like an eternity before he reached Také again.

"What's wrong, sir?" Také asked. Beisbeis slumped onto a rock, barely hearing the words. Také noticed the letter and asked, "May I?" Beisbeis nodded, and after Také had read it at least three times over, the former captain's heart began to pound less than it did five minutes ago. After a few moments of silence, Také sighed quietly amidst the chattering of Matoran all around them.

"Well, what do we do now?" Beisbeis' eyes hardened.

"We go back to BZ-Koro." Také looked surprised.

"To do what?" Beisbeis looked at him as if he were insane.

"To free it, of course." Také returned the look.

"With who?"

"The army, of course."

Také's jaw dropped. When he realized people were staring, he closed his mouth again and said, "…_How?_" Beisbeis looked at the letter.

"I'm guessing the only Matoran who know about this are The Council and Sori – and maybe some of his more trusting men. We spread the word that in ten minutes we set out for BZ-Koro." Také shook his head, his mouth gaping.

"This is crazy… What if the Council finds out?"

"I'm as good as dead to them," Beisbeis snapped, "So if I get caught in the attempt, oh well."

Také sat silent for a moment. As he came up, Beisbeis grabbed him by the shoulder and said, "Wait – inform someone we can trust. Do you remember that Khora kid?" Také nodded. "Good. Make sure he stays here so he can tell us what happened when we get back." Také nodded and walked silently to adjacent cave systems. Beisbeis sighed grimly, then got up and followed his example.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'Well,' thought Beisbeis, as the army began marching again to BZ-Koro, 'that seemed to run a bit too smoothly… but we shall see when we get back… if we do return.'

They had left the caves fifteen minutes ago. BZ-Koro was going to be near after a short walk. With this in mind, Beisbeis halted the company and brought the three officers they were able to grab from under The Council's watch out to plan. It was luck that had let them get so many, even if it was barely enough to command the group of fifty Matoran. Beisbeis pulled out his sword and drew out a map of BZ-Koro to the best of his knowledge since they had left, although it was sure to have changed since then.

"All right," Beisbeis said, after he had finished his drawing, "This is the plan. Once we reach BZ-Koro, we shall split, and archers will surround the city and begin a barrage into the city. The team of thirty will be led by Také, and his lieutenants will be Nora and Manu." Here he pointed out two new Matoran that had barely become officers. They were identical twins, one wearing a Miru and the other a Kakama, which were both yellow along with their bodies.

"From that, our swordsmen shall come through the main gate to the South an the Northeast. The word for this to go is "forward." They will be led by Karon and I." He pointed to a sturdy Matoran, bearing a large sword and wearing a black Pakari against his dark blue body, which was to help shield him in the dark. "After we make it in, the archers will shoot two more volleys, then half will advance and join the fight. The other half shall stay where they are to take care of any retreat the Bohrok might make. Understood?" When everybody nodded, he did also. "Good. We will take a ten minute rest to get ready continuing Brief your troops, please."

Everybody quietly came back to the group. Beisbeis sighed quietly and sat on a boulder. The sun slowly rose along the sky, which was unusually clear. Beisbeis hoped that a good omen for today. Fatigue was overtaking his whole body. He came to a stream that had developed from the river running through The Island. He took off his mask, splashed some water on his face, and his senses immediately became alerted once more. He was ready to fight.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It took them another twenty minutes at a fast pace to get out of the forest and to BZ-Koro. Beisbeis nodded, and the archers split the left and right of him to the city, covered by the trees surrounding the Koro. The former captain nodded again, and Karon followed the archers and left the bushes in which they were hiding with his group of twelve. Beisbeis himself commanded thirteen; only three had ever seen war before, so the experienced three were asked to assist the rest. The Matoran barely saw some of the archers leap into the trees; they had learned that when Le-Koro had been taken, and they were called to help. The Matoran had to be ready for anything in Mata Nui.

Beisbeis saw Také in a visible spot in a tree from his position to the north. Také gave a thumbs-up. The Matoran returned the gesture. Také nodded once and signaled to the rest on the ground and above, then notched his bow. The others did the same.

"Three… two… one –" Beisbeis muttered, and the archers sent their arrows singing through the air. Beisbeis could hear many hit, and they were confirmed by the various screams and hisses from the Bohrok. The archers re-notched their bows, and soon volleys were sent at will, causing chaos among the inside of BZ-Koro. Amongst the din, Beisbeis could decipher, "Forward! _Forward!_"

"Let's go!" he shouted, and his group silently ran to the gate. When they came about three kio from it, Beisbeis yelled, "Chaaarge!" His group, screaming, came into a full-blown sprint. They reached it as the Bohrok began retreating. Beisbeis swung his sword upwards into the nearest Tahnok's chin, sending it sailing, as the other Matoran became engaged with their own enemies.

The Bohrok were in total pandemonium. With this new threat coming on them, they panicked, and Beisbeis and his group were luckily able to wipe their swarm without major injury. As the last one was slain, he saw Karon's group, looking around for more Bohrok in the city.

There were none to be seen.

'This isn't right,' Beisbeis thought, 'what happened to the rest of the Bohrok that were guarding the Koro?"

Suddenly, he heard the noise he had come to fear for so long.

"_Chikt – Chikt – Chikt – Chikt –_"

Swarms of blue, red and green eyes emerged from under the ground, from invisible holes outside the city. Beisbeis' heart thumped harder than it had ever before as the Pahrak, Lehvak, and Tahnok grew closer into the .

'_I walked us into another trap. Another trap. They're going to get us now. It's over._'

The archers on the ground ran for their lives into the city while those in the trees recovered from the shock and began firing to the Bohrok. It was not enough to stop them, though, as they continued marching into the city. Také disregarded this fact as he used up his arrows, his arms and hands working seamlessly together, picking them off one by one.

Beisbeis quickly counted out everyone. Not one person had been lost yet, but that would soon change with his stupid mistake. Quickly, he turned around to the Matoran.

"Hurry, create a circle with your weapons out. When I say 'fight', run into the enemy and send them back where they came from! We will make them fear our names!" The soldiers nodded and did what he said, frightened as they were. Beisbeis shifted his pouch and a Madu Cabolo fell out. Surprised, he hid it from sight as the Bohrok finished surrounding them.

All was silent. The archer's arrows were spent. Beisbeis looked around silently for a moment, and took a deep breath.

"_Fiiight!_"

Instantly he threw out his Madu Cabolo. A large explosion blew the wind whistling through his mask and sent Bohrok flying through. He saw his fellow Matoran being gored by the monsters. He suddenly charged, being the last to do so, and was sent in a rage that no beast could oppose him. Before long, ten Bohrok stood by his side; and he did not stop despite his open bleeding in his leg and left arm again.

It would not be the end, however. Individual Matoran were becoming pinned down. Beisbeis drove his way to one near his death and tore down anyone who opposed him. He was beginning to breathe heavily. It was over.

Suddenly, two explosions rent the air, and Beisbeis saw more bodies, Bohrok and dead Matoran, flying. Their hope was alive again. He fought with new vigor. His last Bohrok came running at him; Beisbeis simply threw his sword at him, which pierced the headplate. It went down, screeching.

Beisbeis saw the remaining Bohrok take a quick glance; eight Bohrok retreated out of the original seventy that had entered the Koro. A great cheer came over the Matoran. Beisbeis nodded slightly and fainted, exhaustion overtaking him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'So… they took the city again, Sister. Our visions have not come true.'

'Not to worry. They will fight against each other. They will destroy their unity. And then they will fall. Meanwhile, we must continue searching for what we need.' The Bohrok Va crawling around their feet continued their work, oblivious to their master's grand schemes. Cahdok smiled.

'Yes. When we find what we need, nothing will be able to stop us.'

'Yes… It will the end of The Island… and of Mata Nui.'

End of Part I


	8. Part II, Chapter 1

Part II

Chapter 1

_All was black around. He was the only one in the infinite darkness. He could see nothing. He was alone._

_Suddenly brilliant light burst into Beisbeis' sight, temporarily blinding him. Around Beisbeis, flashes of vibrant images of all different Matoran raced in front of him, to the side, behind, above below – all a mass of swirling color, devoid of order._

_Soon, a figure was seen approaching him from the horizon – wherever that was. It was a Toa of some sort, with its powerful body gliding over the unseen ground. Soon, it halted in front of the Matoran, and Beisbeis noticed twin gears behind the Toa's naked face. The mouth opened, and the images instantaneously froze. The Toa seemed to ignore them and continued on._

"Thy challenges have been great,

And thou hast triumphed over them well,

Now listen to my words,

The only way through do they tell.

Thou must first seek out the darkness,

In order to see the Light,

Remember Unity, Duty, Destiny,

And thou may triumph in this fight."

_Almost immediately after in between Beisbeis and the stranger, a slightly transparent image formed a picture of Beisbeis. Through the image the Matoran saw the Toa slightly smile, and the image moved into a hole between some of the frozen, also transparent portraits. As it flew into place, the images began flying everywhere again as if nothing had stopped them. Beisbeis watched the Toa step backwards… With each step, the scene faded away from the Matoran's mind… Until…_

Beisbeis leapt forward to sit on the bed, his eyes wide open, taking in everything he saw and not comprehending it. For a moment, he wondered if all of this fighting and emotions he had felt was just a long and horrible dream – until the recollections: their discovery of the Pahrak Va, their regaining of BZ-Koro and everything in between came flooding back like a river. After a few seconds, he shook his head and concentrated on where he was.

He was in his room in the Lower Level. Everything was familiar: his desk, his pack and his mace. The Matoran climbed out of his bed, with only some of his fatigue coming back to him. Where exhaustion had disappeared, however, pain had invaded. Beisbeis rotated his shoulders, then recoiled: he could only move that for the moment with severe aching. Beisbeis' head now felt the pounding from the headache that issued like a dull thud. Massaging his head, he grabbed his mace, still unsure of what might lay outside the room.

As the Matoran stepped outside the door, he brought his head up and immediately gasped. His hands tightened on his handle for his mace, his heart beating fast. His eyes fell upon those of another Matoran, sprawled across the ground, spattered in blood. The empty eyes echoed with inexpressible fear and sorrow; just beneath it on the neck two small holes showing the source of since-dried black poison.

Beisbeis' mouth stood open in disbelief as his breathing began to return to normal. As he lowered his mace to his feet, he turned to drag his feet down the hallway littered with many Matoran bodies, all soldiers, their masks toppled along the ground, all showing expression of pain or fright on their faces, while one or two Bohrok lay also dead among the corpses.

The common room was likewise filled with the dead, trying to stave off the attack that had eventually slaughtered them. Most of them looked like they were civilians. One by one, Beisbeis stepped over their bodies, tears welling up in his eyes, blurring his vision. He needed to leave; the scene was already becoming too much to bear. The Matoran's walking was quickened as he ran out the door. He almost tripped over a Matoran or Bohrok, he couldn't tell – his eyes couldn't see anything.

As Beisbeis exited the barracks, people could be seen carrying the bodies through the hole to the Upper Level he had created with the Madu Cabolo. That now seemed an eternity ago now, what with all that had happened during that time. He spotted amidst the carnage the three captains and Také, apparently conversing. He hesitantly walked to them, careful not to step on anything in his way.

As he approached the group, he noticed Také stopped talking and immediately began running towards him. The soldier barely stopped in time to avoid running into his former captain. Také began to salute when Beisbeis shook his head; he was not in the mood for respect. The Matoran desisted rather half-heartedly, and then began enthusiastically barraging Beisbeis with an array of questions.

"How are you feeling? Is your shoulder better? Was your sleep all right? I mean you scared us when we found you sprawled on the ground after the fight. We wouldn't have put you in your quarters, but it would have made sense because the Bohrok would not have gone back down there, since they knew everyone below was dead. I am truly sorry you had to see what happened down there, we were going to move you to the Upper Level this morning if you hadn't woken up– "

"Who were those in the barracks?" Beisbeis asked quietly. Také hesitated, then his head dropped to the ground.

"…There was a group that did not escape in time when we did," he said in a quiet whisper. The memory of telling the Matoran to not seek revenge for his friend came instantly to Beisbeis' mind.

_'There will be a time to take revenge; but unless you want to die, it is not now.'_ There would have been more Matoran at stake if they had stopped – but all the same, Beisbeis painfully wondered what their last moments might have been like. A fierce anger welled up inside of him; he would not let his fellow Matoran die without repayment. After a few seconds of this temper he remembered the words he had just thought of. Beisbeis put the thoughts to the back of his mind – there would be time for that later, when his emotions were not rising. He looked back at Také, letting another question come back.

"By the way… What happened at the fight? How did we defeat them? All I remember seeing is a few explosions, and the Bohrok running away, and then everything was black…"

Karon gave a slight smile. "We had luck on our side for that time. Apparently some of the Madu Cabolo we embedded didn't explode the first time. I guess they triggered when there was enough pressure bearing on it." Beisbeis nodded modestly.

"Good, good. How many soldiers are left?"

Také returned the nod. "Thirty-five survived the initial barrage. We're sending half of those to check on Sori, Niwan, and Council at the latest tonight. If that's okay, of course?" Také's voice sounded hopeful.

"Yeah, that's fine," Beisbeis replied. "And you stay in charge for two days, along with these captains. I'm not going to be able to do anything for a while this." He pointed at his body. Také face brightened, and he tried saluting Beisbeis again. The former captain snatched the arm before it extended to the mask.

"If you do that again," Beisbeis threatened in a whisper, barely containing a grin, "I'll have to report you to your authority. Is that clear?" Také's lip trembled before breaking into a wide grin. The captains chuckled briefly before Beisbeis have a curt nod and turned to climb the mountain of dirt.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the library."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next few days Beisbeis hardly remembered, mainly because he spent most of his time resting his wounds or reading books about dreams. Amazingly, the library had barely been touched at all; a few replaceable manuscripts had been destroyed, but that was a small price to pay for what could have happened.

After four days, however, the burial of the bodies had been completed. Beisbeis soon prepared a memorial with the captains for all who had died. He knew it would not be enough, but for the moment the chance that the Bohrok might come back made it too risky to delay and prepare for more.

As the sun faded from Mt. Rûn, the Matoran solemnly gathered near the gravesites. Small lightstones were lit in honor of the fallen. As the mass began to settle Beisbeis stepped forward from the group, the flames reflecting off his face, trying to decide what to say.

"Fellow…Matoran," he began quietly, his head bowed to the ground, "Tonight we remember those who have died in defense of our city. Their immeasurable sacrifices included their lives, which they willfully gave to save us. Never forget them." The Matoran nodded and bowed their heads.

"Among the dead are innocent citizens of BZ-Koro. The Bohrok swarm engulfed them, and their lives ended in pain. We cannot save these people now; but we can prevent this from happening again, and in turn honor their spirits." Beisbeis suddenly raised his lightstone above his head.

"Your lightstones are your life; the light you contain withstands the armies of darkness and evil. As one, it is not enough. Darkness can overcome this easily." He covered his hand over the small gem, suffocating the light and hiding his face. Being in such darkness was rather frightening; helplessness filled him until he loosened his hand and the glow reflected out of his hand. Beisbeis looked over the congregation; their respective lightstones made the area slightly luminous.

"As many, we can withstand. Our light stretches farther as many. The darkness shrinks and cowers from our light as many. But only as many can this happen; only with Unity may we survive this onslaught of evil, and defeat it forever. If we do not help others, and do aid those who need it… we will fall, and all will be lost." Abruptly, Beisbeis' eyes burned bright, and he raised his stone once more.

"The darkness has killed your people," he shouted, "And they will kill you, too. _What say you to that?_"

"_No!_"

"_What will we do with this darkness?_"

"_We will fight!_"

"_When will we give up?_"

"_Never!_"

After a few seconds of cheering, Beisbeis dropped the lightstone to his waist, his glow flickering for an instant. After a few more seconds of approbation, the crowd began to become to silent, intent on hearing Beisbeis' words.

"We will fight the Bohrok everywhere on The Island," he said, in a quiet voice that everyone could hear, "But we must remember our purpose in fighting. There can be no action without cause. Remember for whom we are fighting for. Fight for those whom we could not save; and never forget them. Never."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis awoke to a knock on his door the following morning. He started when he first heard the noise, but quickly calmed down when he realized where he was.

"C'min," he said groggily. A soldier opened the door, a worried expression on his face.

"Some Matoran just arrived," he said, "They want to speak to you."

Beisbeis' tired eyes instantly shook the sleep out. "Matoran? Please show me to them."

The Matoran leaped out of bed and followed the soldier up the hill of dirt. As the Upper Level came into sight, his eyes caught an unexpected and unpleasant surprise.

"_Khora!_"

The private stood, supported by two other soldiers in the front of a small crowd of other Matoran. His scratched mask was held in his hand, as another Matoran tended to the partially concealed right eye and various cuts and bruises all over his body. Beisbeis sprinted the distance from him and Khora, all tiredness taken from him.

'Sori and The Council must have made a move against them,' he thought, as he knelt by the injured soldier. The Matoran shook his head as Khora flinched from the damp cloth being pressed on his eye.

"What happened? Is anyone else hurt? What did the Council do? Where… are…" he trailed off, as he realized what he was asking. '_Mata Nui!_ What kinds of problems might The Council be causing _now?_'

Khora coughed once and looked at Beisbeis. "Once they realized you were gone, sir, they gathered everyone in the largest cave. They said, 'Whoever supports Beisbeis, split away.' Those did," he pointed to the group that was behind him. "And any soldiers that were on your side they beat up – which explains me." His grin flickered for an instant as they placed the cloth over his eye again.

"Are they still there?" Beisbeis asked earnestly. Khora shook his head.

"After they threw us out, we waited for them to see what they would do. Soon after, they left, going to what looked like the outpost near the docks."

Beisbeis stood quiet for a moment, eyes closed, rejoicing. 'Yes! Once the people realize what has happened where The Council led them, they might turn against them.' Khora watched his leader for a few seconds before hesitantly continuing on.

"Uh… sir?" Beisbeis' eyes snapped open in surprise. "Should we go out and look for them?"

Beisbeis stood quiet for a few more seconds, pondering the choices. His head slowly began to rock side to side, the shaking going faster the longer he did it.

"No, no," he said quickly, "No, not right now. I'll decide when the time is better." Khora blinked slightly, taken aback.

"If – if you say so, sir…"

Beisbeis nodded tersely, turned around and headed into the library. Také glanced nervously around and followed him as the crowd began to subside.

"May I ask why you are not searching for them?" he asked timidly as he quietly snapped the door shut. He walked to the center of the library, where Beisbeis stood among the innumerable amount of books surrounding them. Above the entrance, a thin layer of protodermis purified the sunlight and shone into the cracks of the room. No shadow could be seen when the shimmering ray brightened Beisbeis' pondering face as he turned around.

"I thought that would have been obvious for you, Také," he said matter-of-factly, his mouth slightly frowning. He continued as Také stepped onto the elevated podium in the center, which housed the statue of their long departed leader, Hapori Tohu. "They will see the outpost and what happened to it, the citizens probably will rebel, and they will want to return to BZ-Koro." Také shook his head worriedly.

"What if the public doesn't rebel? Worse yet, what if they are attacked?" Beisbeis' face remained immobile.

"Then we must trust that that will not happen." Také head continued shaking disbelievingly.

"You are willing to sacrifice your people on a chance? Or is it something more, sir? Something about The Council's attitude?" Beisbeis' eyes furrowed, and his eyes narrowed fiercely. Také, however, pressed on, his own eyes opening in concern.

"You said just last night we must unite, or we will fall. Will you not take your own advice? Surely The Council is in need of your help?"

"I'm not going to help someone who doesn't want it," Beisbeis snapped viciously. An awkward silence followed, where Beisbeis glared at Také suddenly defiant but hurt face. The Matoran spun around, facing away from Také and stared at Hapori Tohu's loving face, his arms folded. As his face began to cool down, guilt sunk in like a stone in water. Také _was _right, after all. After a few more seconds, Beisbeis sighed and began to turn again.

"Také, I'm– "

He had turned to face an empty library; the entrance doors had shut with a sharp snap, a quiet echoing through the air.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Unfortunately, no Matoran arrived over the next couple of days, although Beisbeis was too busy to admit his worries. While the bodies had been buried, the Krana remained and the enormous task of disposing of the creatures engulfed most of his day. Soon, however, only sections of the Upper Level were all that remained to clean. Beisbeis purposely left the Great Council Building to the end; from what he had heard, no fighting took place in it, so there was less chance that some murderous Bohrok was hiding in there. Still, it was better to be sure than dead.

Much was on Beisbeis' mind as fingered his mace, creeping down the hallway paying scrutinized attention for any sign of Krana or Bohrok. No difference of heat was seen in his Akaku, so he signaled for the two Matoran assigned to assist him to follow. Two came to his back, pointing their spears forward, waiting for Beisbeis' next move.

A small blob of red and orange appeared in the Akaku – coming from the Council Room. The Matoran suddenly ran the remaining length of the hallway and burst open the door, mace ready to strike.

His action reverberated hauntingly through the room. The glass dome on the top shone sunlight into the room – revealing a single Krana XA on the ground.

'This must have been the Krana I had grabbed back in the Pöuri forest,' he thought, staring at the motionless creature on the ground, 'Well, The Council does not need it anymore…' He raised his mace to strike.

But as he stood there, weapon poised, ready to blow, a question he had been thinking of crossed his mind.

'Why are the Bohrok after us?' he pondered, 'What is so valuable that they have decided to destroy us?' Another thought entered into his mind; suddenly his heart pumped wildly. 'What if this XA _knows?_ What should I do then?'

As these thoughts flew through his conscience – dangerous as they were – the two Matoran tapped Beisbeis on the shoulder.

'Um…sir? Aren't you going to kill it?" Beisbeis again thought for a few more seconds, though it seemed an eternity making his decision. He then brought his mace down to his waist.

"No," he said slowly, articulating every word as if he was unsure of what he was saying, "No, not yet. Have this one bagged, and sent to the Library. Make sure the captains are there in ten minutes."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He stared at the lifelike face, the powerful body. _Where had he seen it before?_ It felt so familiar, as if he had known him from some past time…

Sounds from the outside became more prominent as the door opened. Beisbeis turned around to see Nora, Manu, Karon, and Také tentatively strolled to the center of the Library. Karon gave a slight smile to Beisbeis.

"What'd you need, sir?"

Beisbeis did not return the smile. He glanced at them in a wary manner, and then turned behind to face Hapori Tohu once more. The captains stood in silence, all interested in what Beisbeis was doing. The Matoran turned back to them, and after a few reluctant looks revealed a sack sewn with flax. The white plant was woven so tightly that no one could see what was contained in it, but from the constant stretching of the sack's fibers despite Beisbeis' steady hand showed it was evident that whatever was in it, it was alive.

"What's in it?" asked Také.

"A Krana XA."

Everyone stood still, waiting for Beisbeis' explanation. All the captains showed no sign of alarm, although behind their masks their faces became tighter, their lips pursed, and their eyes narrowed, starting intently at a bag holding one of their people's murderers. Beisbeis placed the bag gingerly on the ground, and then began his idea.

"Ever since we have found out that the Bohrok have discovered us, it has never been clear why they have been attacking us. I think because the Krana have a connection to the Bahrag, I will submit myself to the Krana and I will search for anything that might give us a clue to find out what we are looking for."

Beisbeis hadn't thought it could possibly become any more still after he had told them it was a Krana. Even the sun felt as if it had stopped giving light. The only movement was Také's head rocking side to side.

"No," he whispered, "No, no, sir. With all respect, you shouldn't do this – we don't know what might happen. What if the Krana controls you?"

"I think as long as we restrain him," Nora suggested, "We shouldn't have a problem. Her twin's Kakama bobbed up and down; Beisbeis' heart lightened slightly. Encouraged, he turned to Karon.

"What do you think?" He did not expect a frown from him as he weighed the choices.

"I will…say yes and no. First, because you are older than I, Beisbeis, so you should know what you are doing…but I suggest you be careful." Také still shook his head, desperately wishing to hold his ground.

"What if it affects him later on?"

Beisbeis had to admit he had not thought of this. When they had assisted in regaining Le-Koro, many who had been controlled showed side effects that still minutely connected them to the Bahrag – not much, but enough to cause trouble. When all the captain's eyes stared at him he turned around to face Hapori Tohu to buy time and think.

The strong eyes staring into space hit Beisbeis' realization like a slab of protodermis.

'_Hapori Tohu was in my dreams!_'

Suddenly, two lines from the verse in his dream stood out in his head it was almost frightening. Beisbeis wondered what caused this to occur; he could almost feel an invisible hand in his mind, grabbing it to his attention.

'_Thou must first seek out the darkness,_

_In order to see the light._'

A warm tingling washed through his body, making him shudder, although he could not help but grin. As he turned to face his captains again, the grin became less pronounced. The emotions he was feeling a moment ago were suddenly absent. The choice that had sounded perfect at first now seemed clouded with darkness. How could he be sure it would succeed?

As he hesitated for a moment, a wave of rush swept over him. It was still mysteriously precarious, but his whole self told him to do it – no matter the consequences.

"Také," he started hesitantly, "I know this is the only way we can defeat the Bohrok. Without it, we will be fighting for the rest of our lives. This might be our only chance to finish this once and for all. If I do show effects, it will have been worth it, knowing that we helped save BZ-Koro."

Everyone stared at Také as he wrestled with the words. To Beisbeis' immense relief, Také sighed and dropped his shoulders.

"Let's get this over with…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Okay, lie down, and we can do this."

Beisbeis lay down on a table in the corner of the library, surrounded by the bookcases. It had taken five more minutes to decide where they should do the attaching. In the end, they decided to stay where they were – it was too risky to go outside with people having the wrong impression. They also stayed out of sight in case anyone came in the Library – precautions had always never led anyone into trouble.

Despite the fact that he was about to subject himself to one of his most hated adversaries, Beisbeis felt fairly calm. Even when they released the Krana from its cell, his breathing was normal, although it might have been a bit raspier than before. Nora, Manu, and Také held Beisbeis to the table. Karon held the Krana over Beisbeis face. He hovered over for a moment, and then lowered the monster.

"…See you when you get back…"

The Krana sealed off the light, enveloping his face and mind in shadows.

All in Beisbeis' mind, a sense of muffled silence overcame him. Going by his mind, he probed around until he found a powerful mental wall, restricting access. Beisbeis looked around until a weakness in the defense was found. He penetrated with rather easiness; but the instant his mind passed through, a barrage of images came into his mind, finally ending with the eyes of the Bahrag.

The Matoran's heart began thumping rapidly as he peered into the eyes of his mortal enemies. The Queens blinked, and a thought passed into the Krana and Beisbeis' minds.

'Search The Island for it… tear apart every stone, every leaf, every Matoran, until it found.'

'It must be an item, then,' Beisbeis thought curiously, 'But what and where it is –"

A force of resistance shocked shoved Beisbeis back into his mind, forcing him to see memories of his life, things he had not thought about for years. Surprised, he tried pushing back – the Krana could not come into his mind, or else the Bahrag would know their vulnerable position and attack – but almost immediately the Krana sensed this and broke through his feeble defenses.

'No… _This can't be happening…_"

But even this thought slipped from his conscience as he fell deep into darkness…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_All he could see was red all around him. A red creature was holding him down in a big, red room, and the creature was saying something, but he could not make out what they were saying. He could hardly hear – or think – at all._

_Suddenly, immersed in his mind was a single overriding command. The voice echoed through his mind, not fading or growing dim._

_'_Kill the Matoran._"_

_Beisbeis did not question this; he was, after all, only a pawn, regardless of his XA status, and the Bahrag knew what they were doing. His masters should not be questioned; they should be obeyed. Beisbeis attempted to sit up, but the blurred, red creature pressed him harder on the table. Beisbeis' anger flowed through his body, and his eyes flashed a bright red, snarling and baring his teeth. With surprise and fear in their eyes, they released him, and he burst past them and through the door, oblivious to the shouts and cries behind him._

_Beisbeis found himself looking at a large courtyard with an unnatural hole to the side, the fountain in the middle crumbling because of it. Many creatures were pointing at him, while a great deal of commotion was taking place. Beisbeis mentally shrugged this off; these beings were not the objective and therefore they were of no use. Beisbeis stumbled across the earth as he walked towards the creatures; he was still not used to this new body…_

_Wait a minute – who was 'he'? As Beisbeis' awareness started to emerge again, the Krana fought more vigorously to keep his mind under his power. Almost right away Beisbeis' sense of freedom drifted from his memory, and he became a slave to the swarm again. With this sudden jerk his vision became clearer, and the blurred creatures became – _

_'_Matoran._'_

_It was hardly a few seconds before Beisbeis was running and leaped onto the first Matoran he could see. It was an older one, apparently unable to defend himself; that made the task easier to complete. The Matoran froze, petrified at what was happening to him. Beisbeis showed no emotion as he raised his mace for the kill._

_A surprising jerk from the back of his head brought him to the ground. Another tug, and it felt as if his face was being pulled. Bit by bit his skin – or was it the Krana? – felt like it was peeling off until one last almighty wrench ripped it entirely from his eyes._

Beisbeis blinked for a few moments. His head felt like it had been in the Mangai, judging from the burning in his cheeks and eyes. After shaking his head to clear his memory, his understanding of where he was and what he was doing five seconds ago suddenly shocked his mind into clarity.

Také stood in front of the enormous crowd that had surrounded them, sorrow and regret pouring down his cheeks and what had just happened.

"What should we do now, Beisbeis?"

He had no answers for him.


	9. Part II, Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_The beast burst through the forest, its feet moving over grass, rock, bark, and water. Its orders from the Queens were clear, and it could not lose what it had been told to watch. The creature increased its speed as it ran along a fallen tree trunk, which was hanging over a small stream and ended resting on a large boulder covered in a light green moss. The beast halted spontaneously as it reached the boulder, and found again what it was spying on._

_A group of near two hundred Matoran was on foot slowly, oblivious to the creature listening to the right of them. The beast watched as the many people passed through the edge of the tress. The spy crawled to the right to see for itself what they were staring at._

The Matoran stood uneasily within sight of the outpost. Two of the mass stepped forward and turned to face the armed Matoran in front. One with a green Mahiki brought them over with a swift wave of his hand.

"Go check the outpost out and report back," The Matoran said, "And keep it _quiet_." The soldiers nodded and broke off to search the settlement. Five minutes later, they came back with shocking news.

"All the Matoran and Bohrok inside are dead, sir. They were killed a while ago – maybe when Beisbeis escaped."

"Dead? You mean you've led us into a trap?" A voice from the crowd made those in the front spin around to the sound's origin.

_The creature saw the eyes over it and tried to hide in the shadows, but by the time it did so a dagger embedded into its shoulder. The force from the weapon pushed it off the rock, falling into the small stream below, turning the water red._

Soldiers rushed to the corpse, weapons at the ready.

"It's a Lehvak Va, sir," one said as another punctured the Krana. Sori ran to the men, his eyes widening the longer he stared at the body. For the first time since he had turned on Beisbeis, he felt a new emotion: fear. Despite his General status, he knew relatively nothing to deserve the rank. His feelings were mutual with in the others; shouts of death were heard among yells of advice.

"We need to get out of here – _now!_"

"We're all going to die!"

"Mata Nui save us!"

"We need Beisbeis back!"

"Now wait a minute!" All turned to Niwan, eager to hear what their leader had to say. "Beisbeis planned this! And even now he is at BZ-Koro, spawning Krana to enslave us to the Bahrag, too! We need to _stop him_ – before he overtakes us!" A sound of agreement flowed through the congregation. Sori ran back to Niwan as he signaled for the Matoran to begin moving again in five minutes.

"Sir," he said in a whisper, "Could we talk?" Niwan nodded friendly, and the two walked a short distance away from the Matoran.

"Now, Sori," Niwan said softly, "What would you like to talk about?" Sori breathed heavily, then turned to face the forest, Niwan behind him.

"Sir… Wouldn't it be better if we were sure which side Beisbeis was on?" Niwan shook his head he looked at Sori's back disbelievingly.

"I have beyond a shadow of a doubt in my mind which group Beisbeis is sided with," he said firmly.

"But – Wouldn't it be better, just to be certain?" Sori said timidly as he turned to face Sori once more, "He is, after all, what the people need – a strong and moving leader – "

Sori suddenly found Niwan pinning him to the tree behind him, the rough bark scraping across his neck.

"And why am I not that leader?" Niwan said in a deadly whisper, his fierce eyes piercing a glare into Sori's now-terrified face. "It sounds startlingly to me that you might possibly be _with_ Beisbeis and the Bohrok?" Sori shook his head hastily, fearing the potential retribution. "Then if you would like to keep your position, I suggest you listen to what I tell you to do. Stay with me, and you'll find your reward in the end. Alright?"

The General meekly nodded, and Niwan gave a long, stern look before turning to the group of busy Matoran ready and willing to set off once more. Sori followed after a few seconds of silence, wondering whether keeping his rank was really worth all this trouble.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'I sense it. It's becoming more pronounced…'

The Bahrag lay in their dark lair far below the surface of Mata Nui, their servants gone to complete their tasks. Cahdok nodded her head as she felt a new presence within their sphere of influence. However, the being was so faint the Queens could hardly sense it, let alone touch it; but anyone they could perceive was worth trying to control. Gahdok strained with her power while her Sister urged her one.

'I almost have it…'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_He was in the same unending void – the lack of any dimension, along with the swirling mixture of colors and moving portraits made it evident. Soon a dot could be seen in the distance, which grew into the shape of a Toa. Beisbeis smiled; he knew who this was._

_However, the smile faded away when he saw Hapori Tohu's face reveal one of sorrow. Once again, the images froze; but this time Beisbeis' picture stood in between them. The Toa began speaking, and the Matoran listened meticulously._

"You have decided your path,

There is now no other way to go,

You must endure with your choice,

And survive using what you know.

Come to me, and save what you may,

Lest all you love be lost this day."

_And for the second time, Beisbeis watched Hapori Tohu step backwards. Despite all his many questions welling up inside of him, he hesitated, watching the Spirit tread away… until…_

Beisbeis sat up on the mat, his breathing slightly elevated. The memory of his dream passed through his head, and he shivered slightly; the look on Hapori Tohu's face made him uncomfortable, as if the Spirit was searching him and pitying him at the same time. He shook the dream out of his mind and glanced around the room. As his sight passed over his meager belongings, a realization hit him in his head.

'_I don't see my mace!_ Where is- "

Suddenly, the comprehension of where he was came through past his curiosity of where his mace was, and his heart sank. He sighed, pulled himself out of the itchy blankets, and grabbed his Akaku off the hard, cold floor. As he put the mask on the powers attracted to his face, and his vision came into sharp focus, revealing his cell.

Beisbeis was in the same prison he had been kept in nearly two weeks before. He had been taken immediately after the incident with the Krana; all he was waiting for was a trial to be organized. Unfortunately, with the Council wherever they were, nothing could be done yet; and even if they did show up, Beisbeis did not imagine it would be just, anyways.

His face brightened when he heard the rattle of keys and Také walked into the cell, carrying two small bowls of various foods. The soldier had been granted permission to visit the prisoner, as long as a soldier was standing guard. For this Beisbeis was truly grateful, if not just for the daily fruit and bread; none of the people wanted to even come near him, fearing he might kill them. He shook the feelings out of his head as a Madu fruit was handed to him.

"How goes everything?" he said through gulps. Také looked back, shaking his head slightly.

"They've set a trial," he said; Beisbeis looked up disbelievingly, "Whether that is good or not for us, I don't know." He watched Beisbeis nervously as the prisoner stewed over this new bit of information, slowly picking at the scanty remains of a Ruki fish while he did so.

"S-Sir…" Beisbeis looked up from his meal to look intently at an anxious Také. "Why did you… you know…"

"Put on the Krana?" Beisbeis finished quietly, almost to himself. Také nodded; he was glad his Miru covered his burning cheeks. Beisbeis sat back on the protodermis wall, lost at what to say.

"…Well…" Beisbeis glanced at the soldier standing at the door; he was more concerned with other things at the moment, "…This might sound a bit crazy, but… Well, I had a dream with Hapori Tohu in it, and he told me I needed to 'seek the darkness in order to find the light'. I assumed that is what he meant."

Také nodded blankly. Beisbeis knew what he was thinking; dreams involving Hapori Tohu should not be taken lightly, yet imagining the Leader of BZ-Koro telling a Matoran to become enslaved to a Krana was unlikely. After a few seconds, Také glanced at Beisbeis and whispered:

"So what did you learn from the Krana?" Beisbeis sighed quietly.

"Well, I found out the Bahrag are looking for something… I'm pretty sure it's not on the east side of The Island or inside BZ-Koro – otherwise the Bohrok would most likely have it by now. That's all I figured out." Také stared depressingly.

Do you think it was worth the sacrifice you made for that information?" He whispered calmly. Beisbeis was sure that was not the way Také wanted to say it.

Beisbeis hesitated. "I would think so. Are you worried that- "

_He was seeing red again. It filled his senses, his mind…his emotions. It blinded him… until his sight was cleared._

_A Matoran was in front of him._

_Immediately he leapt from his seat and threw his enemy to the ground a moment later. Whatever he could do to stop it, kill it; whatever he could do to complete the mission. His opponent was struggling, but he became weaker… The task was becoming easier…_

_Suddenly, the Matoran grabbed a cup of water and threw it at him. He tried avoiding the liquid – only Krana meant for Gahlok could survive underwater – but it splashed on his face and – _

Beisbeis gasped, the water slowly dripping off his face. He wiped most of his drink off with his sleeve, the shock ebbing away like the tide. Také lay on the ground, massaging his neck. After a few seconds, he looked up at Beisbeis; the prisoner saw a small tear trailing down his cheek.

"Was it worth it, Beisbeis? You're affected by it now; was it worth your sacrifice?"

Beisbeis sat, bent over, silent. Také stood up with another wet glisten in his eye, and walked to the cell door, snapping it shut. He walked up the stairs to the Upper Level, leaving the lone Matoran to himself and his doubts.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next day Beisbeis awoke to Khora and another guard unlocking his cell. The prisoner stood up as the Matoran walked in.

"C'mon… sir…" Khora whispered; the event would not change habit, or the respect he had for his Captain. "It's time for the trial."

The convict nodded and lumbered for the door. The soldier looked on him with pity as they made their way out of the prison.

When they came to the Upper Level, Beisbeis squinted from the vigorously brighter sun; he had been underground for so long it had already started to affect his eyesight. As his Akaku assisted to correct his vision, many Matoran bodies became clearer, along with a small wooded riser built to the side of the partially crumbled fountain in the center of the plaza. A gentle push moved Beisbeis up the scaffold's stairs, where he could see the many Matoran watching him much clearer, although this did not ease his anxiety.

"Beisbeis," a voice to his right from the audience boomed; the loud noise startled him slightly, "You have been charged of treason by collaborating with the enemy, and also assaulting a fellow Matoran. How do you plead?"

Beisbeis watched the stares of others bore into him. He took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, trying to ease his aching heart for the hatred he was now receiving.

"I will only say I am guilty," he said quietly, "If I am allowed to speak."

A few seconds passed, then another voice rang out, "What do you want to say?" Beisbeis wiped his brow before continuing.

"I'm not going to deny I did it." He looked around the whole crowd, some of who were chattering about this new revelation. "But I did not do them because of what you may think I have done them for. I put on the Krana to discover why the Bohrok were on the Island, and what the Bahrag were after. I was trying to stop this war sooner, save many lives, and save BZ-Koro."

"Yes, that's true," someone shouted from deep within the crowd. Beisbeis' Akaku adjusted his vision, focusing until he found Karon smiling at him. "We watched him do it. We tried to restrain him, but he broke free and… well…"

"How can we trust you?" Another voice asked, as the Matoran leaned forward to reveal distrust and wary on his face – the same older Matoran he had almost killed. Beisbeis' head dropped down; he was still ashamed of what he had almost done. He brought up his head as someone coughed loudly. The assembly turned to the source, up on the platform behind Beisbeis; Khora watched everyone stare at him, nervously breathing as he stepped in front of the convicted.

"I just have a small part," he began, "Beisbeis led a squadron of us against the Bohrok. He had the chance to turn us over to them, but he didn't. I think that would count for something in this." Beisbeis smiled gratefully at the soldier he had once rebuked. Someone in the front, however, shook his head.

"While I must agree that he did have the chance to take BZ-Koro, there are many reasons that he might have not done so. It is not enough." The older Matoran nodded his head almost pityingly as talk broke out in the congregation. Beisbeis' heart fell; he could think of no other way to convince them otherwise. A gavel quickly silenced the crowd once more. The old Matoran suddenly stared fiercely at Beisbeis for a few moments.

"I can think of one more test that might prove to us whose side you are on," he said slowly, "If it is consented with everyone else. We must give him the Krana back and see what he does."

A gasp rose from the multitude. Several minutes passed away before they quieted themselves again. The old Matoran shook his head slightly.

"If he is with the Bohrok, the Krana will lure him, he will take it, and we have archers to make sure he doesn't escape. If he is with us, he will kill it. Is this agreed?" He looked at Beisbeis hopefully. The accused nodded his head, gulping slowly.

'_Come on, Beisbeis,_' he thought, '_don't mess this up…'_

A few minutes later, Beisbeis watched the same Krana he had put on a few days before squirm out of the flax pouch. He was handed a sword, then all around him stood back to the archers surround him.

Beisbeis focused his attention on the Krana. Now out of its protection, the parasite crawled blindly around, sensing Matoran, but without the means to reach them. Beisbeis raised the sword, poised to strike, wanting more than ever to finish this problem…

But he hesitated for a second… The Krana was a XA… How nice it would be to serve in that position… _Either way, he must serve the swarms… _That _was his duty…_

'What? The Swarms are not my duty!' He viciously shook his head, willing himself of this thought. Every second as his quavering arms rose the weapon over his head once more was an eternity, and even more so when he stood holding the sword in midair. Beisbeis stood, not sure of what to do.

'_Come on!_ Rid yourself of this, Beisbeis – do it now!"

With this thought breaking the firm grip of the Bahrag on his mind, he drew in a large breath and strained all of his very being as he swung the blade as hard as he could into the beast below him, letting out a battle cry as the Krana severed in two, the flakes already breezing away.

It was a few moments of heavy panting before Beisbeis recognized applause from the crowd. He ignored the cheers and returned the sword to the older Matoran,

"Have I earned your trust?" He asked quietly. The Matoran nodded, gradually going faster, contentment in his eyes. Beisbeis returned and staggered downstairs, welcoming sleep once more.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After returning his possessions to his room, Beisbeis wanted to be in the open for a little bit after being jailed in the uncomfortable cell, so that night he spent outside in the front of BZ-Koro with Také, along with the guards on duty. The cold forced him to his coat; but nonetheless, Beisbeis was grateful to be free, let alone alive. He remembered this as he walked to Také, who was staring out to the west, towards Mt. Rûn.

"What's up?" he whispered. "Is something wrong?" Také did not remove his from his unknowing search.

"I just have a feeling," he whispered, "…Something's not right…"

Beisbeis glanced at the dark Mt. Rûn and shivered slightly. 'Too much cold,' he thought, 'That must mean it's time for bed…'

As he turned to enter the hole where the gate of BZ-Koro once stood, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Yes, Také – " he looked at a nervous Matoran who pointed to the pinnacle. Beisbeis followed the arm to where it was pointing to and gave a start.

Small explosions could clearly be seen on the mountainside. Beisbeis could not see what was causing the explosions, but there was not much doubt in his mind who – or what – it was. After a few seconds of staring at the spectacle, Beisbeis felt an impression in his mind, with Hapori Tohu's voice coming to him.

"_Come to me, and save what you may,_

_Lest all you love be lost this day_."

Immediately he patted Také on the shoulder and whispered into his ear, "I forgot to mention – I had another dream, where I was told I needed to come to Hapori Tohu's Suva. If we go, we'd better do it now, or might be too late crossing the bridge for good, judging by Mt. Rûn." Také hesitated for a moment then nodded more gradually. His skepticism of these dreams still had him slightly anxious; however, he did follow when Beisbeis walked to the captain's quarters underground.

"All right, just pack everything you're going to need, and have it ready to pick up at any time." Také nodded and walked to his quarters; Beisbeis remembered, almost two weeks ago seeing a very different Matoran walk off to prepare to leave… or escape, as was that case. Luckily, they did not have to worry about jumping from the city wall this time. Beisbeis shook his head with a small smile, then turned into his own quarters to find Karon. He found him sitting in a flax chair by the fireside, reading a book until he noticed his "leader" there. Regardless of what Beisbeis had done, some Matoran were still distrustful, and did not want him back in complete command at once, so the honor was given to Karon for the moment. Karon pretended as if that didn't matter.

"What do you need, sir?" he asked kindly. Beisbeis pointed down the hallway.

"Something has come up, and I need to travel to the Suva. I mean to take Manu and Také; Nora will be with you. I'll be taking thirty; that should be about enough for what I want to accomplish." Karon thought for a moment, then nodded understandably.

"Is there anything you want me to tell the ones that doubt your true intents?"

Beisbeis bit his lip, his eyes appearing focused. After a few seconds, he shrugged nonchalantly, and grabbed a piece of paper on the desk.

"Here's a letter from me, saying what I'm planning to do. They shouldn't argue since it involves Hapori Tohu; but if they do, just try and calm anyone who suspects us and keep watch for Bohrok, along with him…" Karon nodded intently; there was no need to say Niwan's name out loud. After a few seconds, he stood up, placed the book on the chair, and stretched out his hand.

"Good luck to you, sir. I'll hope you won't him on the way. Well, until then…" Karon pushed his arm out further.

Beisbeis looked shrewdly for a short bit, with a small grin on his face. He gripped the outstretched hand and shook it firmly.

"Until then."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis led the group of thirty out of BZ-Koro along the path west to the bridge less than an hour later. He took Khora with him; there was only a small number he could completely trust right now, and right now he needed all the help available. Of course, he wanted everyone to trust him regardless of who they were with; so after BZ-Koro disappeared, Beisbeis waited until he saw Také and quickly whispered into his ear.

"If people ask about what we're doing, let them know. I don't want them abandoning us right now; they're all we've got." Také nodded, and turned to a nearby soldier whose anxiety was apparent. Beisbeis smiled at his thoughtfulness, and then ran back to the front to continue piloting his squadron.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It took most of the day continuing along the path the group before the sound of the river could be heard. Instead of relief, however, tension rose among the Matoran when they saw traces of smoke rising near their destination; all had fought when they regained BZ-Koro, and they had no burning desire to face this terror again. Beisbeis could not see any evidence of Bohrok with his Akaku; unfortunately, there were traces of heat there that revived one of his fears when embarking on this journey. He bent his back over as he reached the top of the hill. The group watched him stand up again. Their leader's shoulder drooped dejectedly as he heaved a sigh.

"Come on, it's all right…"

The group walked cautiously to the top to find the bridge over the river almost completely burned away. Only splinters of wood jutting out of the water and small fragments on either side still smoldering stood as the only proof that a bridge had even been there. Many raised their weapons after horrifyingly watching the frayed, broken, and scorched wood still occasionally plopping into the water. Beisbeis looked for signs of Bohrok; caution was better than assumption, and he couldn't see past the first hill on the other side. Before panic overtook the group, however, the captain took control.

"Matoran, it is obvious we cannot continue this way. We will step back a quarter of a kio and rest for an hour. After that, we will inform you what we're going to do next."

The soldiers were glad to comply with these directions. When they had stopped at a clearing a few minutes later, Beisbeis gathered Také and Manu to discuss their dilemma.

"All right, we can't take the bridge, and we don't have boats to go across the delta. I can't see us climbing over Bour Plateau. The only way to go that I can see is crossing Lake Lamén, at the latest, tomorrow morning. That's the only way we'll have enough time to go to Hapori Tohu's Suva and back in the quickest possible time."

Také nodded and leaned forward, looking around to see if any soldiers were nearby.

"Do you still have the, uh… effects of the Krana still under control?" Beisbeis firmly nodded, and Také sat back, appearing relieved. The Matoran sat on watch, nervously waiting to move again. Beisbeis sighed, pulling himself up.

"Well, let's see if we can't get there by nightfall…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It took the rest of the day to reach the edge of Lake Lamén. All Matoran were even more frightened when night fell – and the chance of a surprise attack rose. However, when the docks were in view Beisbeis sighed, slightly relieved; there were Bohrok guarding the boats, but they would have the advantage in this fight. He turned to Také and Manu, and whispered almost silently – the enemy could hear, after all.

"I can see five on the shore and three on the dock itself from here – and that's enough to make me suspicious. What I want to do is set two perimeters of archers and swordsman. The first shoot a volley, charge at the Bohrok, and finish them off. The second stays where they are and make sure there are no Bohrok hiding anywhere. Once we retrieve the boats, we'll row to the outpost on the isle, and set up the attack there. Please get your men ready." Beisbeis watched his two leaders sneak to each of their respective patrols, and soon huddled with his own group of ten.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Gahlok stood rather leisurely as they watched the docks. As artificial creatures, they filled the space the Bahrag put them in and little more. They watched the surrounding area around them poorly, never noticing Matoran slink over the rocks. It became their undoing.

In less than two seconds, six of the Bohrok fell to the ground with multiple piercing of arrows, most in the neck and torso. The remaining two Krana lived their last moments immediately going into the water, hurrying to swim to the island. Their intentions were short – they died as both were pierced with an arrow in the back of their heads.

Beisbeis leaped out from behind the rock he was hiding, his mace raised, ready to swing, and found… silence. He kept his mace hoisted in the air; he had gone through too much so far to let his guard down. After a few seconds with a lack of noise, however, he warily let his mace down, inch by inch.

Nothing.

"Something is not right," Beisbeis whispered to himself, "Ever since we first fought the Bohrok, they have always ambushed us. They're going against their character." Také walked up next to him.

"That's something out of our control right now. Do you want to explain to everyone how we're going to do this?"

After a few seconds, Beisbeis walked onto the wooden deck and turned to face his men. "Alright, Matoran, we're gonna get in the canoes and paddle quietly – _quietly_, please – to the outpost. We'll meet up on those docks in the middle of Lamén and attack the Bohrok that might be there. If you see any Bohrok along the way, don't shoot unless your patrol leader tells you to. Once we reach the outpost, let 'em fly as much as you can. Let's get to it."

The Matoran quickly moved onto the boats and began to paddle as silently as they could. As the moon rose over the lake, the boats swiftly cut through the water, never knowing which of their passengers would die tonight.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

There was around an hour of tenseness apparent in the squadron. Most could barely see past the front of the boat; and Gahlok could be anywhere in the water, just waiting to strike. Soon, however, the outpost emerged so suddenly from the haze as if a wall had suddenly come into their path. Beisbeis watched the land come closer as he studied the area.

The outpost had a feeling of over-hastiness ingrained into it. Three protodermis circular rooms were arranged like the three points of a triangle, with corridors as the lines both leading to each cylinder and creating a wall against the outside. Each circle had a small horizontal slit facing the exterior. They were meant to stop invaders from entering, although they had never been used during Beisbeis' life. In the center of the outpost was a storage depot in the center of the outpost that contained food and weapon supplies.

Beisbeis leapt onto the shore as the boats scraped the rough sand beneath it. After a few seconds of lying still on the shore, he beckoned his boat's occupants to follow, and then started crawling up the mound, hoping he would meet anyone along the way.

It was at least ten minutes before he reached the first steep side just below the embrasure. Inside he could hear harsh breathing; as he listened intently, he suddenly gasped when a hand gripped his shoulder tightly. He spun his head around to find Také and Manu lying on the rocks behind him, along with Khora in the front of Také's patrol, gripping his sword tightly. Beisbeis shifted his body to face his men.

"All right, from where we are, there are two stairways – one on the left, and the other on the right. We are next to the right one right now, so at least one patrol needs to crawl to the other side. That will be yours, Manu," he pointed at the Matoran. "Once you're there, we'll sound a 'Chikt' for the go, in case the Bohrok are around. If you hear it, just go anyways; they'll know we're here either way." Také stared at his leader with what seemed like alarm. They had never used Bohrok noises before.

"Um… Sir… Are you sure about this?"

Beisbeis nodded. "Don't worry, Také, everything will be fine. When we're inside, we take out any Bohrok inside and grab whatever we need. Let's move."

Immediately Manu's group began sliding their way under the sliver into the outpost again. As he watched them, Beisbeis felt an intense pain in his forehead. Despite his Akaku, his vision was becoming blurrier, his eyes giving a strange tingling. Red enveloped his vision; only shadows of the Matoran told him he was still where he was.

"Must… do… duty…" he whispered. And all was black.


	10. Part II, Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The sands on the beach slowly rolled over each other as the surf washed forward, grabbing grains and leaving foam behind. The red sun clashed in the water as the group of Matoran trudged onward along the coast, watching warily for anything out of the ordinary. Sori walked near the back; he wanted to be as far away from Niwan as possible. After the ferocity Niwan illustrated in front of him, Sori almost preferred to fight a Bohrok than face him again.

That, of course, changed when the group stopped, whispering nervously among themselves. A soldier approached to Sori with an uneasy look.

"You're wanted up there, sir…"

The general nodded with a weak smile. 'This is it,' he thought as he gripped his sword's hilt, 'I'm going to prove myself that I _do_ deserve this rank.' He unsheathed his weapon as he ran up to the front of the crowd and saw –

Niwan, The Council, and some militia crowded in a circle giving him rather odd looks.

Embarrassed, Sori hastily out his sword away to attempt to show he had control of the situation. Coughing, he pointed to the wedge of bark embedded in the ground.

"So what's that thing?"

Niwan knelt in the sand to examine the object.

"It looks like a grave. Beisbeis must have done this; we need to get to BZ-Koro before he comes. Let's move."

Sori bent down to look at the apparent grave head. His finger brushed the smooth wood and found knife marks shaped into Matoran letters.

"_Unknown Matoran. May he be the last one that dies in this war. –Beisbeis."_

A Matoran passed by the gravesite, and whispered sarcastically into Sori's ear, "I'm sure he meant every word – so he could have more hosts to give to the Bahrag. I hope I get my hands on him before Niwan does – I'd show him what a true Matoran would stand for. The coward." The Matoran spit onto the ground, disgusted, as the group passed by.

Sori continued to kneel in the sand, unsure of who was right anymore. The procession continued along, cursing Beisbeis and the cause they believed he stood for.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

At the moment, however, Beisbeis had no idea what his fellow Matoran had called him. He could not even think at all.

As his eyes began to open, the red he was seeing began to morph into shapes, running here and there. Shouts and cries became more prominent, and soon sound and vision encircled him once more, though still hindered. Something fell onto him; the impact shocked his senses into awakening, and he regained conscience to become aware of glassy Matoran eyes staring back into him.

With a cry he shoved the corpse off of him and stood with his mace in his hand to find a scene of chaos. Pockets of Matoran fought against Gahlok that were pushing the soldiers away from the outpost and to the tide. Také appeared out of what seemed to be nowhere, grabbed Beisbeis' arm, and jerked him out of his state of shock.

"C'mon, sir, we need to go!" He shouted. Beisbeis bellowed as they pushed their way into the battle.

"Retreat! Hurry, to the boats!"

There was a second of hesitation on the Matorans' part; it soon followed with everyone abandoning their fights and falling behind Beisbeis.

"Go, go, go!" The captain shouted as the soldiers clambered onto the vessels, keeping any near enemies at bay. Soon, the boats kicked off from the gravel, the forces still watching the Gahlok remain stationary on the beach. Beisbeis sighed and leaned on the boat, breathing heavily.

"What happened?" He tried to whisper. Také glanced over at him.

"For some reason," he whispered, although Beisbeis knew what he was referring to, "You fell off the stairs. The Bohrok heard the noise, and they got to the doors before we could put a foot in." Beisbeis looked blankly at the bottom of the ship, unable to say anything about his shame.

"Where should we go now, sir?" The leader looked up at his devoted friend. He sighed and shook his head while pointing back to the outpost.

"We need to continue on. The Bohrok won't let us pass now," He said. "Hopefully they won't come after us because of the confusion back there until–"

Suddenly, water exploded all around them as Gahlok leapt from the waves and grabbed screaming Matoran to bring back down to the depths. Trying to calm his men, Beisbeis shouted for a volley into the water. A scattered twenty arrows shot into the lake; blood drew to the surface as a result.

"Paddle, paddle!" Beisbeis shouted as the two canoes rowed away from the outpost. Behind them, Gahlok were sprouting from the surface of the water and heading towards the Matoran. Having life as a motivation spurred the rowers further; as soon as they reached the shore, however, the Bohrok ended their pursuit and turned back to where they came. Beisbeis hesitantly stepped out of the vessel, mace ready for an ambush. There was none.

The rest of the Matoran followed their captain's actions. Také looked back to Lake Lamén with a puzzling look.

"I wonder why they let us go like that," he whispered, "They could have trapped us easily back there…"

"Maybe they're headed back to BZ-Koro," one suggested. "What do you think, Beisbeis?…Beisbeis?"

Také levitated above the ground to search for his captain as everyone looked on the ground and spotted a shape sitting on a rotted log in a clearing around a hundred bio from where they were.

"Wait here," he told the men, "I'll be right back." Také ascended into the air and came to Beisbeis, touching the ground lightly as he walked behind him. His captain's mask was on the ground.

"I blew it," Beisbeis whispered. Také stepped closer.

"I don't understand, sir."

"I lost control. They saw me there. That's how they knew were coming. I let you and everyone down." He eyes flashed a dark red for an instant. He dropped and gasped as he fought back tears and the taint. Také sat next to his leader, slightly troubled by what he had just seen.

'The men are waiting for you, sir."

Beisbeis looked up at the men, still warily watching their surroundings. He sighed, letting his shoulders droop for a few seconds. He could not abandon those he was supposed to lead, however. He hesitantly pulled himself off the timber, covered his face once more with his mask, and slowly made his way back to his group.

"Where are we going, Beisbeis?" One of the Matoran asked as soon as the leader came into view. The captain looked at the men, frowning and sighing.

"Are you still willing to be lead by me?" He whispered quietly, "After the mess I put you into?"

Silence overcame the group for a few minutes. Beisbeis watched each one of them staring at him, but he avoided their eyes. He did not want them seeing the kinds of temptations pulling at him. After a few minutes, quiet was still everywhere within the meadow. The Matoran shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to say or do.

Finally, someone made his or her way past everyone else to Beisbeis. He held his breath.

It was Khora. The Matoran knelt down, took Beisbeis' hand, and gripped it firmly.

"As long as your intentions are for Hapori Tohu, I will follow you."

A few more seconds passed as Beisbeis began to have tears in his eyes. He felt a rush of gratitude towards the soldier as he gripped Khora in an embrace. He looked up at the rest of his patrol.

"Are the rest of you in agreement?"

All of the infantry nodded, some less reluctantly than others. Beisbeis looked at each one individually; each one would voice their support. When he came to Také, he watched his second agree, although the captain noticed he seemed to so with an air of regret in his eyes. Beisbeis knew why he was somber; but now that would have to be later, when they were alone. He addressed his company once more.

"Thank you, men. This means a lot to me." The captain glanced back at the boats lying on the shore side. "I think we'll let the boats out; there's not much chance we will be returning that way right now. At least the Gahlok will not destroy them."

A few Matoran hesitantly complied with Beisbeis' request; it was evident they were not completely willing to give up their only chance of returning to the east side of The Island. Beisbeis realized he felt the same way as the crafts drifted away to follow the current of the river south. Regardless, they could not change their course now.

An explosion brought the Matoran out of their thoughts. They spun around to find Mount Rûn mountainside combusting. Beisbeis wondered what was happening inside the pinnacle - what secrets lay hidden beneath the layer of soil and rock. Whatever it was, though, he didn't have time for it now. They had to reach the Suva before Bohrok came.

"Come on, men," he said, "Let's be on our way." One by one, the Matoran filed into a line and followed their captain, leaving behind the now-forlorn dell.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The sun was rising into the sky as the Matoran caravan trudged their way through the underbrush along the edge of the Pöuri forest. Sori was now right behind Niwan; curiosity, along with his lessening lack of respect for his leader prompted him to be close so he could attempt to figure out what was happening. The Head Matoran suddenly stopped, causing Sori to collide with his head.

"– Oh – sorry, sir –" Sori stammered; Niwan pushed him out of the way to address the crowd.

"We're here, people!"

The people shoved Sori further out of their way to reach their destination once more. The General made his own way through the throng to see where everyone was going. He stared at the BZ-Koro gates – or what remained of them – facing him and the rest.

A Matoran stepped onto the bulwark to see what was happening outside; Niwan waved his arms back and forth to attract his attention.

"We're back!"

The individual squinted from the sun to see who had spoken to him. When he finally discerned the speaker from the multitude, he hastily stumbled down the stairs, broadcasting to everyone inside.

"Someone, quickly! Get Lieutenant Karon! The rest have returned!"

A low, hushed murmuring fell over the gathering congregation as the remainder of the civilians of BZ-Koro reentered their home once more. At least, what remained of their home. Sori surveyed the pieces of wreckage scattered everywhere, and the massive pit that Lower Level that appeared to head downstairs to the Lower Level. There was still plenty of work to be done, but they had certainly started to repair most of what had been damaged. The General soon focused his attention on the cluster of Matoran heading their way.

"It is well to see you safe and among, Head Niwan," Karon said respectfully with profoundly bowing, "What do you n– "

"Is Beisbeis here?" Niwan cut Karon's respectful words short. The lieutenant fumbled slightly, then slowly rocked his head from side to side.

"Where is he?" Niwan demanded. Karon sighed.

"…He had to leave with a squadron to, uh…"

"Where?" If Niwan's voice was impatient before, there was no mistaking it now.

"…Well, west…"

Niwan stood chewing his tongue, his eyes closed. Sori had no idea what he was thinking, but it was probably something he would not take a fancy to. After a few seconds of quiet, Karon hesitantly tried to gain the Head Matoran's focus.

"…Um…Sir?…"

Niwan began nodding briskly and revealed his eyes once more.

"All right, I'm taking official command of the army now. We're going to take every soldier we can, and capture Beisbeis."

Sori blinked incredulously. He had expected something similar to what Niwan had said, but he hadn't counted on him carrying off BZ-Koro's entire defense. The crowd broke into nervous chatter; even those who despised Beisbeis didn't appear willing to leave themselves defenseless. Sori delicately tapped Niwan on the shoulder from behind.

"Sir, I think you're making a mistake here," he whispered into Niwan's ear, "Beisbeis isn't working for the Bohrok, and– "

He was rewarded with a sharp twist in his arm as he fell to his knees, grimacing from the pain. The Head Matoran lowered to Sori's ear, and whispered quietly:

"Y'know, I think threats never seem to get the job done," he said dangerously, bending Sori's arm once again and causing him to flinch, "It always does some good if you exercise a little _authority_."

"What's going on, sir?" Karon asked, confused. Niwan glanced sporadically at the crowd gaping at the scene, then pointed at Sori.

"This Matoran has decided not to follow my orders; and he is demoted from his rank as an example to anyone who disobeys. I want you to watch him carefully; he is allied with Beisbeis. I want all our men ready to leave in an hour." The Head Matoran yanked Sori from off of the ground, causing the former General to recoil even more. "And get his filth out of my sight. He will be coming with us when we leave, so we can keep an eye on him."

Sori was seized by two soldiers, his anger rising as he was dragged to the prison. When he was thrown in his cell, the prisoner rubbed his throbbing aches. He finally knew whom he was against.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis stood at the front of his patrol, scanning the plains and the occasional tree struggling to grow out of the soft soil; grass was overtaking those larger than themselves. The captain cold see anything alive nearby, so he rose his hand in the air, opened all of his fingers, and knelt down as he pointed to the ground. A Matoran with a Kakama sped to his side, followed by a Miru from above; a Pakari from the side; a Ruru – that was Khora; two Haus; another Pakari; and a Mahiki materializing out of nowhere.

Beisbeis avoided looking at them; he didn't feel comfortable being with his group right now. Even though everyone had voiced their support for him to some degree back at the lake, their leader did not share their confidence. He still felt a lingering sense of inadequacy from his disastrous wreck. Their voices could not bring back the dead Matoran lying on the shore at the outpost and floating on Lake Lamén.

"Let's move," he said, and they split up again.

'_We see you…_'

Beisbeis knew who those voices were inside his head. It only spurred him to push forward. His doubt mixed with his fear became what he fed on, until he would reach the Suva. Then he would understand what Hapori Tohu needed him to do.

He did not have to wonder for much longer. Within twenty minutes, the Suva was in sight. Beisbeis knelt and pointed down three times, making each one clear so his patrol would know there were three prongs of movement. After a few seconds, he caught glimpses of Matoran through the scrub. They blended well; only a few snatches of advancement distinguished them from everything else.

The squadron gradually made their way down the valley to the Suva. The Suva itself was in a circular building surrounded by six pillars, each representing an element. As they grew closer, the statues became more intricate, more lifelike; the fire looked as if would burn, the ice as though it would freeze.

The most interesting feature of the place, however, was the revered silence. Beisbeis passed between two of the pillars and into the Suva area. He could barely hear his feet touch the ground. Even his breathing sounded as if he was taking in less air. One by one, he watched as his men followed him to the front of the Suva's doors.

"Wait here," he said, "I'll be going in alone. It shouldn't take too long." Také nodded, and the rest of the group watched as he entered the sacred building.

If the outside was silent, the inside was more so. In the center of the room, a smooth half-dome with another small, elevated center ring inside was surrounded by six tall spires, not unlike the ones found on Mata Nui. Relics were all along the circular wall – tributes to Hapori Tohu from the BZ-Koro villagers.

The room was spotless; every artifact in the room was unsoiled to symbolize purity. Beisbeis looked sheepishly at his dirty attire. Any time one went in here, they needed to cleanse themselves to show they were prepared physically. Unfortunately, they were no fountains in the building, so he could really do nothing. He continued walking.

'…Still…' Beisbeis thought, "…Maybe I should clean myself off before I go in somehow… just so I look halfway-presentable.'

A feeling of urgency swept over him.

"_Come to me, Beisbeis…_"

He took a step forward. The Suva was pulling him. Clean or dirty, he needed to go there – _now_. If he waited –

'_No! We must complete the mission!_"

Beisbeis hesitated for a few seconds more. Both sides were pulling inside of him now. It seemed both were putting up an almost equal fight… but he knew which one he had to choose.

The captain took a deep breath. His hand was raised to his shoulder. The fight inside was becoming more vigorous. His will was being contested. Compared to every battle he had participated in, he had never fought as hard as he had in his life. Every fiber of his being urged him to save his soul, to finish what he had started…

His hand touched the center dome.

The rocky sphere seemed to respond to the Matoran's actions. The stone began to brighten; the light in the room began to drag towards the Suva, until Beisbeis could barely see in front of him. He raised his arms over his eyes to perceive what was happening.

Suddenly what little eyesight he had was lost as the light engulfed Beisbeis. Fear overtook him for a moment; but as soon as he grew apprehensive, a voice dispelled the fear in him.

"_Do not worry. You will not come to harm. Just let me take you where you will be safe._"

The Suva disappeared in the light, and Beisbeis could not recall what happened after. Soon after being in this state of brilliance the glow began to fade, and Beisbeis surveyed his surroundings.

_He was in that void once again; the moving portraits confirmed his reasoning. A seemingly innumerable amount of faces stared in every direction as they crossed by. Some passed through each other and vanished into space again._

_As Beisbeis watched the pictures progress, he noticed in the background that a figure was approaching. The captain knew who this was; there was no doubt in his mind. As he watched the person grow closer, he bent to his knees for his respect, no matter how long it took for his Spirit to reach him. Less than a second later, something tapped him on the shoulder. He raised his head to find Hapori Tohu standing in front of him._

_Beisbeis' initial reaction of 'How did he get here so fast' was washed from his mind as the comprehended the magnitude of whose presence he was in. Immediately he bowed down once again, still in shock that it was _the_ Hapori Tohu. All his life he had been taught to look to the embodiment of BZ-Koro. However, to Beisbeis, he had only been someone from the past. Although the Spirit had done great things for BZ-Korans, he was a name, not a face. Now he was kneeling to a_ Spirit

_That is why it appeared strange when he received another tap on the shoulder._

_"Come, sit down," Hapori Tohu said, and created two milky-white, floating chairs out of thin air, or whatever gases were in that place. Beisbeis reluctantly still kneeled, and continued to do so until Hapori Tohu repeated his request. "Please sit down. It never helped us when I tried to talk to someone and the insisted on prostrating for forever."_

_Beisbeis quickly sat down on the chair and found it to be surprisingly comfortable. As he relaxed slightly on the space, Hapori Tohu clasped his hands together, leaned forward in his chair, and focused on his guest._

_"I'm glad you came, Beisbeis. I needed to talk to you." Beisbeis nodded, confident in what he had done._

_"Well, sir, I need your help with the Krana; I put it on, like you told me to, and– "_

_" – I didn't tell you to put it on," Hapori Tohu interjected. "I wanted you to come to me in the first place."_

_Beisbeis sat in the chair, shocked._

_" – I – I thought – " He stammered, trying to find excuses for the Spirit. Hapori Tohu shook his head dejectedly._

_"The Bahrag have a talent for the manipulation of minds and bringing it into the darkness. All of what you believed was mine except for the dreams were actually their doing. It was_ their _bidding_ _that you put on the Krana." _

_Beisbeis was shocked. Také had been right all along - there had been no need to put on the Krana at all. He had risked his soul for nothing!_

_He exhaled, still unsure of what to say. Hapori Tohu nodded, adjusting his seat to a more comfortable position._

_"Let's talk."_


	11. Part II, Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_"I didn't tell you to put it on."_

The words continued to play over and over in Beisbeis' mind. Hapori Tohu sat opposite of him, watching him intently. The Matoran continued watching the pictures drift by while thinking of what to say to the Spirit. He was not eager to discover if he had ruined anything else along the way.

Hapori Tohu could apparently sense Beisbeis' discomfort, because he suddenly stood up out of his chair. The captain noticed the Spirit's height was much more imposing when he, Beisbeis, was sitting down.

"I want to show you something to begin with," Hapori Tohu said, holding out his hand. Beisbeis looked at the offer for a few seconds, puzzled, before accepting it.

A bright flash, and -

He was suddenly not in the void, with Hapori Tohu in front of him. He was in the midst of a mass exodus of Matoran. At the front was his Koro's Spirit, leading these people on. Smoke from smoldering buildings watched them leave in the distance. A single word penetrated Beisbeis' mind:

Departing.

_Tears were streaming down almost every Matoran's face. Some were being bore on crude stretchers; most were convulsing violently, and streaks of black covered their bodies. Another word found its way into Beisbeis' mind:_

Kratta.

Beisbeis' heart rose into his throat as he realized the devastation Makuta had wrought among his people. His tears fell to the ground with the rest as the company trudged on –

_He was now standing among Matoran that were constructing a massive creation. Hammers and chisels carved enormous building blocks partially made of protodermis; each were lifted into the air and on top of each other by Matoran on temporary scaffolding. As Beisbeis watched an arch begin to form, a familiar name came to his mind:_

BZ-Koro.

While the Matoran watched the formation of his home, he – 

_Was in the Suva room, watching Hapori Tohu who was standing in front of the center dome. He looked similar to what Beisbeis had when he first entered the world where he was; that same upright posture, that same deliberating face. One last word entered Beisbeis' mind:_

Protection.

But whether it was for Hapori Tohu or someone else, he could not tell.

_After a few more seconds, Hapori Tohu grimly walked for ward and touched the center dome. As the Spirit began to dissolve in a bright light, Beisbeis, too, felt similarly; and after an instant, he was pulled – _

_Back to his seat, facing Hapori Tohu._

_Beisbeis breathed in and out for a couple seconds, trying to take in what he had just witnessed._

"_So – So that was…" he started quietly. Hapori Tohu nodded and answered his question._

"_This is the beginning of our people," he said, "We originally were a Koro of Mata Nui, although our home was known only to one person: the Turaga of Ko-Koro, Nuju." Beisbeis nodded; he was aware of all of what had been said, though beyond that his understanding was limited. "We lived on the southern side of Mount Ihu, content with our lives, making due with what we had. Unfortunately, we were discovered: Makuta, ever seeking to conquer the Matoran, stumbled upon our village. Soon after, kratta had invaded, infecting many of our people." Beisbeis could feel the mixture of grief and hatred in Hapori Tohu's voice as the Spirit paused for a moment, trying to control his emotions before continuing._

"_Faced with utter destruction, we abandoned what used to be our home in search of a new one. Soon, to the southwest, near Le-Wahi, we found an area filled with protodermis that we could mine and use. A city to the east of that became our new home, stronger than before." Beisbeis smiled; he had never been more proud of his people and the way they could recover in the midst of disaster. Hapori Tohu's face, however, tightened slightly, as he resumed._

"_Yet again, however, we were to be tried. Mata Nui's shifting plates caused Mr. Rûn to rise, while the grassland began to separate. We soon became our own island; and the for off shores of Mata Nui concealed us from the rest of the world." Beisbeis blinked confusingly, struggling to figure out what his Spirit had just told him._

"_So… How is that a bad thing?" He asked bewilderingly. Hapori Tohu sighed grimly._

"_One of the benefits – and at the same time, the largest disadvantage – of being endowed with elemental powers is just that – having them. Everyone with the ability to control any element can sense other elemental powers – their brothers and sisters – when they are nearby. Unfortunately, Makuta is also one of those few gifted beings. Despite the fact that we wee steadily moving away from Mata Nui, I felt the absence of light along the coast, although faintly: my powers are not over any specific element. Nevertheless, my fears were developing again." Beisbeis sat upright, leaning forward slightly._

"_So you came to here?" He questioned, almost accusingly, although he hated to admit it. "What did our people think of that?" Hapori Tohu's red eyes gave off a weary glow._

"_I told them of my intentions. I believe they understood the danger of me remaining. If I stayed with them, I would have condemned them all to death. As long as I waited, to save them, they would be harmed in the end." Hapori Tohu gazed at Beisbeis with a sad smile. "I hate irony sometimes."_

_Beisbeis sat in his chair, pondering. "So –sir," he added, reminding himself of Také's humility, "Not to be rude, but why did you show me that?"_

"_It is necessary for me to make my intentions clear to you," Hapori Tohu explained. "I want you to know that I will help in saving BZ-Koro as much as I can. What is important now is for you to decide whose side _you_ are on - because soon that choice will be made for you if you are not careful. Whose side you are on will determine the fate of our people. Choose wisely."_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The five squadrons of 150 men uneasily made their way out of BZ-Koro as the bright sun rose in the morning sky, evaporating the cool dew. Sori watched two birds flutter from off of the wet ground and into the sky. He wished he had the freedom the possessed right then; at the moment, handcuffs anchored him firmly with Niwan.

As he continued down the well-trodden path with large forest trees and small bushes surrounding it, he suddenly found his arms being tugged to stop him where he was. Everyone else gradually descended to a halt.

"We'll take a fifteen-minute break," Niwan called, "So you can rest for a moment and fix your pack better for the trip ahead." The Matoran spread out in the nearby area, grouped in three or four to be ready for any Bohrok.

Sori was pulled far away from Niwan, near the base of a large expansive tree. Karon glanced around nervously as the two soldiers guarding Sori sat him down on a particularly large root. Curious to what was going on, Sori watched the captain one last time before he sat down, too.

"Can you see Niwan?" he asked one of the guards anxiously. The Matoran shook his head.

"He disappeared into the forest by himself – no one went with him."

"Karon, what's – " Sori began, but Karon cut him off.

"Am I right in assuming you are allied with Beisbeis?" Karon whispered curtly as Sori opened his mouth.

"Yes," he answered fiercely. Karon nodded and leaned forward.

"Good, good – I'll let you in on what we're doing. Most of those loyal to Beisbeis are returning to BZ-Koro – without Niwan's permission." Karon paused, watching Sori closely. "Whatever Niwan says, we are not going to abandon BZ-Koro to let the Bohrok ravage it again."

"Are you going then, too?" Sori asked. Karon nodded hesitantly.

"Yes – the soldiers will need someone to lead them." Sori was fine with this; he had had enough of leadership already. "Speaking of soldiers," Karon looked around again, and saw everyone distracted with other business, "We could use you as one. A fighter, I mean. Once we leave, it'll be safe to assume Niwan will not be happy, and we have no idea where he's planning to go. You'd be safer with us."

The prisoner sat still for a moment, contemplating the options he now had. Karon waited impatiently, until – astonishingly – Sori shook his head, rather vigorously.

"Are you… sure?" He whispered timidly. He received the same answer.

"For most of the fighting here, I have been against someone who only wanted to save his people," he said quietly, "He wanted to protect his people, their land, their cultures, their lives. All I wanted was the power," he added bitterly. "Well, now I know what I should be fighting for. And I'm going to make sure I fix what I've messed up, or at least make up for it. I've chosen what side I'm on, and I'm going to stay there."

Karon sat quietly for a few seconds, chewing his tongue while contemplating what he had heard. He nodded soon, as if agreeing to what Sori had said, and looked at the Matoran with a respectful smile on his face.

"Well, then, may Mata Nui be with you."

Ten minutes later, the same two Matoran escorted Sori as before – he supposed they were staying with him, too. Soon after, Niwan returned from the forest, a triumphant look in his eyes. He quickly gave the call to move. Sori smirked; hadn't even bothered to check who was there and who was not.

As they started their trek again, Sori noticed several Matoran lying amongst the shrubs, waiting for the company to pass. The prisoner smiled inside as they continued past the men waiting to abandon: regardless of the predicament he was still in, he finally felt, for the first time, that he had made the right decision.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_The pictures still floated through the endless space, seeming to go somewhere. But, try as he might, those images had none of the answers to Beisbeis' new questions._

_"Sir… um – " He sighed, "I though I have already chosen which side I am on. Why do I have to choose again?"_

_Hapori Tohu rested on his seat, eyeing Beisbeis, scrutinizing. "Are you sure you have decided? It seems with what happened at Lake Lamén, it was otherwise…"_

_Beisbeis' heart sank and looked down; he wished he could disappear anywhere into the expanse. It was one thing to be rebuked by a Matoran; it was quite another to be chastised by a Spirit. After a few awkward seconds, Beisbeis looked back up to ask the question – the one that was why he had really traveled to come here._

_"S-Sir… Is there a way to heal me?"_

_He said these words almost hopefully, as if the Spirit was the one who could do it. Hapori Tohu sighed deeply, and Beisbeis' heart sank again._

_"Unfortunately, Beisbeis, I have no experience in that. If I did, many more of our people would have survived Makuta's attack." He folded his arms matter-of-factly at Beisbeis. "This is something we will have to deal with later, a least until the Bohrok are stopped."_

_Beisbeis sat rigid in his chair, stunned at what he had heard. Hapori Tohu sighed, as if sensing the Matoran's distress. _

_"Believe me, Beisbeis, when I say that if I was able to heal you, I would. There are ways to cure you, but none are accessible at this moment."_

_Beisbeis, who began to slump after a few seconds, began to sit straight once again after hearing there was still a chance to redeem himself. Hapori Tohu eyed him intently for a moment before continuing._

_"However, since we are focused on this subject, I must remind you that nothing purely Evil will tell you to do good. It can only persuade you to do evil. This is most important for you, Beisbeis – if you have truly chosen to fight for Good, you must listen for these promptings that tell you to do exactly that."_

_Beisbeis pondered quietly what he had been told for a few seconds. After watching the images float by their discussion area – he could hardly call that empty expanse a "room" – he turned back to the Spirit._

_"Sir… would it be all right if I asked – one more – question?" He said tentatively._

_"You are welcome to." Hapori Tohu smiled lightly._

_"Do you know what will happen… in the end?"_

_From what he could see in Hapori Tohu's eyes, Beisbeis was not sure he wanted to know the answer._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_The Matoran were coming._

The creature stared at the approaching group for a few seconds before backing away slightly. Attached to its hand was a small but wickedly curved claw; its usual sheen was somewhat dulled by the mud plastered onto it to detract attention to itself.

Sori continued walking with his two guards behind his back as the plain brush rolled along. He was grateful that he told the Matoran that he was on Beisbeis' side; once they were back on the road, he felt the bands that bound his hands were slightly looser than before. He wriggled his hands a bit inside the hole as he walked.

_The creature watched the group slowly pass by. It restricted the instinct to jump out of its hiding place; it assignment was to spy, not to attack. Patience was the key here – patience and good eyes._

Suddenly, Sori's arms were pulled back against the knot and everyone slowed down to a halt once again. The prisoner noticed Niwan in the front, his expression unreadable. The rest of the troops, however, were whispering in a very recognizable tone: fear.

Curious of what was happening, Sori tried to make his way to the front. His guards obliged, feeling the same way he did. As he squeezed past people to the side, a flash of blue stood out amongst the tan plants. Sori blinked, and the strange color was gone. The Matoran watched suspiciously for a few seconds, then slowly resumed moving towards the front.

_The beast stood still after running to the front of the group. They were looking at something they destroyed quite a while back; they were not going to cross the river where they were._

As he watched the Matoran, the creature crawled down the slimy riverbank and slipped into the water, leaving small ripples behind.

When Sori finally reached the front, he understood why everyone had stopped. The bridge that connected the east and west sides of The Island was nowhere to be seen; there was only scraps of evidence that any crossing had been there, with half-submerged wooded posts jutting from the surface.

What was stranger to Sori was not the absence of the bridge, although that frightened him; it was the lack of everything else. The plant life around the river that was usually so full of green and life was now dead and charred. There were no usual sounds of creatures and birds, filling the air with their calls. Even the water flowing through felt rather feeble compared to past times he had heard it. Sori hoped they would leave soon. There was no obvious way to cross the river – hopefully Niwan would give up and return to BZ-Koro.

"…Wait…" Sori whispered, straining his ears. There was an unnatural sound coming from the stream. It sounded like wood was scraping against wood…

Others seemed to notice this strange clatter, also. The soldiers continued to inch closer to the river, finally finding the source: two medium-sized boats that had seen better days, banging on the posts from the force of the river.

Sori watched Niwan intently, hoping that even with this new solution across the Main Matoran would decide to retreat. To Sori's disappointment, Niwan nodded, a fierce gleam in his eye.

"Beisbeis must have used them when he came over. We'll make sure it will be his last time. All right, into the boats, eight at a time, let's do this quickly!"

The squadrons shuffled quietly into the boats, beginning the journey across.

_The beast watched the Matoran float on those strange wooded devices to the other side. It couldn't see what was wrong with getting wet. Whatever way they took, he was stuck where he was, for the moment, which he decided to wait out. Patience was the key._

Sori scanned the surface of the water warily as the boats paddled their way to the west side of The Island. He was almost certain that someone – or some_thing_ – was spying on them – he just had no proof.

'Like Niwan would listen to me anyways,' he thought cynically. Almost instinctively he glanced over at the Main Matoran, who was sitting three seats away. It was difficult for him to believe that hardly a day ago he was a General…

As Sori mused over his previous rank, something in the water caught his attention. Two long, orange eyes were staring –

_Right at – _

Him.

Sori gasped, his heart beginning to race, and the eyes vanished, leaving a pile of sediment floating, disturbed by… _something. _The prisoner struggled to keep himself calm, but with little effect; he was still too interested in what he had seen.

'Only Gahlok have orange eyes,' he reasoned, 'And probably only Bohrok Va could fit in those shallows…'

But whatever it was, Sori still did not know what it was doing there. Feeling an ill sense of foreboding, Sori watched the Matoran paddle onward, unaware of the unknown danger that would be lurking.

_They were right where they were supposed to be. The Gahlok Va slinked away out of the bank and darted away to inform the ones waiting._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Hapori Tohu watched Beisbeis carefully, his eyes appearing as if they were looking right through him._

_"You wish to know your future, Beisbeis?" He asked quietly. Beisbeis nodded. "Well, this is one of those things I do not believe I want to offer to you. Besides, one who is aware of what might happen to them will always be looking over their shoulders or waiting for riches, when they do not realize they must make those choices that may lead them to good or ill."_

_"…Is there anything you can warn me about – y'know, so I'm more… prepared?" Beisbeis hesitantly replied, "I mean, you wouldn't have to tell me anything you think I shouldn't know, but…" He trailed off hopefully._

_Hapori Tohu reluctantly looked at a willing Beisbeis. After a few seconds, he sighed and raised himself from his seat. Beisbeis instantly straightened himself in his seat, but Hapori Tohu appeared to not notice. He stood a couple bio away, raising his arms, while the gears on his back began to glow. From out of nowhere that the Matoran could see, a picture appeared in front of Hapori Tohu – a picture of him, Beisbeis._

_Before the Matoran could ask what this meant, the picture began to glow, just like Hapori Tohu. After a few minutes, the Spirit furrowed his eyebrows, although Beisbeis could not see any change to the picture besides the light. Soon after, the light faded, and Beisbeis was anxiously watching Hapori Tohu's face._

_"S-So… Was there… anything?" he asked with anticipation. Hapori Tohu stared back at Beisbeis, seemingly choosing what to say and what to withhold._

_"…Beisbeis… You have faced many challenges, and temptations thus far. There is one not far from now… It will test you more than ever. You must heed the three virtues – Unity, Duty, and Destiny. Seek my help when you need it – and even when you don't. Only then will you triumph over your adversaries."_

_Beisbeis sank back into his seat. Everything he had said he had been told his entire life. It was difficult to hide his disappointment. Hapori Tohu seemed to notice, however._

_"I believe you have a friend whose name is Také?" Beisbeis blinked surprisingly and nodded. "Listen to what he says. Learn from your friends – they will also aid you."_

_Beisbeis sat quietly, watching Hapori Tohu's face as he had for this whole discussion. When it was clear no other information would be revealed, he stood from his seat, stooped down on one knee, and whispered meekly, "Thank you, sir…"_

_Hapori Tohu smiled but said nothing. Beisbeis suddenly stood up once again as he looked at his hands in shock; they were growing brighter every second. The Sprit's face was disappearing into the light. Beisbeis didn't want this to end. He tried running to Hapori Tohu – but with every step he took, the Spirit was farther and father away._

_"Wait! Wait!" He cried. The light was so bright he could not see anything. Beisbeis heard one faint word before the light turned pure white._

_"…Remember…"_

Beisbeis could not remember what happened as he returned to The Island, but soon the light subsided, and he was staring at the Suva, tears streaming down his face. Mumbling, he sank to his knees and fell forward. He tried to break his fall, but his elbows gave way and he dropped to the floor.

"I guess talking with a Spirit takes its toll on you," he said weakly. He raised himself off the ground. He straggled to the door and pushed it open weakly. It was still daylight out. Matoran were placing down their packs, stretching their bodies. Také came to his captain's aid.

"Are you all right, sir? Are you done _already?_ You were in there for only about five minutes…"

Beisbeis grinned at Také, as if he was seeing him in a whole new light. "I guess time isn't an issue when you're talking to a Spirit." Také returned the smile, faintly. Beisbeis patted him on the shoulder, drifted to where he had laid his pack, and immediately fell asleep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sori trudged along the dusty path, growing more tired and testy as the squadrons follow their determined leader. They had been on foot all day long; even when passing the river, Niwan only called for a five-minute rest, and that was in the morning. Unsurprisingly, the soldiers seemed to have the same feelings Sori had; they had crossed half of The Island in two days, taking about half the amount of time it normally would.

Yet, even with these grumblings, Niwan pressed forward, seemingly impervious to the talk around him. Sori was sure he would notice the complaining, but no matter what they tried, they were still continuing on.

The sun was setting as the company finally stopped for the second time that day.

"What's going on?" Sori whispered to the Matoran holding him prisoner. They merely shrugged and pushed themselves to the front of the line, just as they did when they crossed the river. What Sori saw this time was not frightening, but amazing.

They were standing at the beginning of a path that led lower into a steep canyon. It was shaped in a large upside-down "T", with them standing on the east side. The walls of the gorge shone clear and bright; the ground was carved smooth and flat like enormous stairs leading to the junction at the bottom, although Sori noticed the other side was much more sloping and flat. Occasionally a large chunk of this material was partially embedded into the soil beneath, covered in dust and grime. Large pieces of scaffolding connected from one side to the other, making it another world of its own. Around the edges was a well-worn path covered in dying foliage.

"This was the quarry that the Matoran excavated the protodermis for BZ-Koro," Sori heard a veteran whisper to a younger soldier, awed by the sight, "But it has only been used for the army since then for traveling on the west side of The Island. It connected the bridge, Mount Rûn, and Hapori Tohu's Suva, which made it the main road on this side. The scaffolding was used to carry the bricks to the top where they could be moved to where they needed to be – but they haven't used them in ages."

Niwan appeared to once again ignore his men, apparently focused on the excavation. After a few moments, he called to the still-chattering crowd, "All right, let's move on. We're heading to Mount Rûn; that's where Beisbeis probably is right now."

Sori watched the Main Matoran suspiciously. There was no proof that Beisbeis had gone there; and as far as he knew, Niwan had never been to Mount Rûn, and therefore he would not know what could be up there. What was Niwan doing?

Before Sori could answer these questions, however, Niwan confidently started climbing down the first ladder onto the first lower level, gesturing for the rest of the soldiers to come. The initial excitement disappeared as the soldiers reluctantly followed their leader, and Sori could understand why as he came down: the place held an ill sense of foreboding, just as the river did.

The eerie silence was more so once they descended lower, where the wind was nonexistent. The stars and moon were beginning to emerge from the blanket of the dark, and the shadows from the poles and beams of wood gave birth to spindly monsters, lurking in the shadows.

They had slowly descended for about twenty minutes before the line was halted once more. Sori glanced around and found, with great surprise, that they had reached the lowest level of the excavation – and they faced a junction, covered in large boulders that had collected over the years, Sori supposed. One path led west, to Mt. Rûn; the other went trailing north, towards the Suva of Hapori Tohu. The prisoner wished Niwan would choose which way they were going; his mind was breeding nightmares concealed everywhere, and he wanted to escape them as soon as possible. Hoping Niwan had decided, Sori focused his attention on his leader – and was startled to find Niwan standing a few bio away rigidly staring at the ground.

"Come on out!"

Suddenly, the rocks grew green eyes and began to walk towards the group. The Matoran immediately pulled out their weapons as Nuhvok came forward to confront them.

"Stop – _Stop!_" Niwan cried, as one Bohrok fell, screaming, with an arrow embedded in its head. Dead silence followed, so much that Sori could hear his pulsing heartbeat. Everyone stared at Niwan; the Matoran confused and terrified, the Bohrok as mechanical as ever.

"Which one of you is speaking for the Bahrag?" Niwan asked, looking around expectantly at the Bohrok. One Nuhvok stepped forward, away from the group and in front of Niwan. A green light pulsated from the Krana, hovering above the creature. It lowered down, immersing the Bohrok and illuminating the area with an unearthly glow. It drifted to Niwan, and soon absorbed him, also.

"Here they are, just as I promised. I hope they will be of some use to you."

The Bohrok opened its mouth; however, unlike the typical 'chikt', a clear, but sinister voice was heard.

'_Yes… They will be most useful_.'

Something was wrong here. Something was very wrong. Sori stared at Niwan disbelievingly. The shock was still with him. One Matoran shouted out from the midst, "So we were wrong all along? That's why you gone so many times into the forest on your own. It's not Beisbeis who sided with the Bohrok. It was you." Others murmured "Traitor" bitterly, but the Main Matoran turned to face the group, a bitter face covering his features.

"Oh, I'm a traitor? Who supported my ascension as Main Matoran? Who stopped me from achieving my goal?"

An empty silence followed before he continued.

"You see, Unity can never last forever. The world is full of worthless people made to follow those with _merit_, with _power_. They unite around those who can lead, who know how to rule – not around some unseen principle that is soon corrupted. The only way to truly gain supremacy is to control another's decisions, make them follow you - using the Krana on them. With that, you can do everything. You _are _everything!"

Sori watched, frightened by Niwan. The Main Matoran was smiling – but it was not a cheerful one. His eyes were filled with a fiery fervor; his face was overtaken by greed and craze. The Nuhvok interrupted the moment by stepping in front of Niwan.

'_I trust you understand that we must include you with these Matoran, Niwan_.' The traitor's head snapped back at the one that had spoken, and gave a false, high laugh.

"Cahdok, that was not part of our agreement when we met in the forest, as you are well aware," he responded coldly, "You agreed to allow me to run BZ-Koro with these Matoran." Sori, however, could hear the alarm in his voice, and the Matoran's suddenly fearful eyes. Then again, even if he was pleased that things weren't going Niwan's way, he didn't feel like talking, either. He tried loosening his arms from his chains; strangely enough, they felt movable now. The Bohrok shook its long head on command, however, only focused on Niwan.

'_The circumstances have changed_,' it said; Sori doubted whether that was true. '_You are aware of your choices. Decide._'

"I'd hardly call those choices!" Niwan shouted, the panic rising, taking a step backwards. The Bohrok moved closer to him, its black claws rising.

'_Your opinion does not matter_._ Only the Mission does_.'

Niwan looked around frantically at the Matoran. The Bohrok continued to grow closer.

"Help me!" He pleaded desperately.

No one answered.

Sori watched, in a mix of horror, dread, and satisfaction as Niwan was cornered to the edge of a wall, tears pouring down his face. He tripped over a rock and fell onto his back. The Bohrok raised one of its claws, its eyes lifeless and unforgiving.

'_Kill him_.'

"Wait – _please! No – N –_ "

The claw sank into the skin. Niwan stared in horror at this weapon, lodged into his body. The Bohrok jerked its claw out of the mass, and the Main Matoran shook convulsively at the blood pouring out of his front. Still trembling uncontrollably, Niwan stared at the glowing Bohrok, his face filled with betrayal. The body shuddered for a few moments more, and was still.

"…_Now!_"

Sori was caught by surprise – Niwan's death had drawn him away from where he was. A Bohrok rushing at him brought him back. He felt the bonds fall to the ground, and one of his guards hastily went out to meet it. Sori watched in horror as the two exchanged blows for a few seconds, before the monster slashed the Matoran through the stomach. His protector fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

Rage filled the former prisoner. In an instant, he sprinted to his fallen defender, grabbed his sword, and severed the Bohrok's outstretched neck. The Krana ejected and the Bohrok fell, squealing; Sori severed it in half as it flew towards him. His hatred for his enemy was intensified from the possibility that he would join their ranks and become a slave to the Krana. Adrenaline coursed through his system; any harm done to him did not slow his course.

It appeared his fellow Matoran felt the same way as he did about the prospects of what they could become. Try as he might, however, more Nuhvok continued to appear and steadily whittle their numbers down. Sori fought and fought, but it made no noticeable difference; all that he had done was make the pile of dead grow larger.

Suddenly, he noticed flames rise from Mt. Rûn, and screeches from the west: Tahnok were coming.

"C'mon!" Someone shouted. Sori quickly ran to join a small group climbing the slope. The Bohrok gained speed, but Sori did not care as he ran towards them. If he died… it was better than enslavement.

They were closer. Sori raised his sword.

Closer. Sori bellowed as loud as he knew.

Closer –

Bohrok and Matoran collided. Sori was shoved violently backward, tangled in a snarl of bodies. There was a terrible pain in his head. The battle was becoming harder to see, to hear…

The former prisoner slowly passed out – but not before he heard more cries of battle….

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'So. Niwan is dead. He survived longer than I expected to.'

The cavern was once again empty, save for the Queens. They had been tapping into the minds of the Krana periodically for the past half-hour, checking on the outcome of the battle. Gahdok shook her head at her sister, half-exasperatedly.

'Niwan was a pawn. He no longer matters.' One of the Sisters focused her attention on the chaotic scene. 'The battle appears to be turning in our favor. Reinforcements from the north have come; this could endanger our prospects. I will send more Tahnok from Mt. Rûn.'

'But, Gahdok,' Cahdok interrupted, as her Twin began to glow brightly, 'shouldn't we be more focused on finding the item? If we can get it, it will sprout terror on Mata Nui – it may even assist us in bringing it back to the Before-Time.'

'If we could pass that cursed wall in the way, we might be able to pass through, but… wait…'

'What?'

'What about Beisbeis?'

'…Yes… He could come to us… We could persuade him…' Gahdok narrowed her eyes.

'Patience… Mistakes are made from hastiness. We must take our own advice we give the Swarm. We must wait until the time is ripe… Patience…'

The Twins sat in the enormous cavern, plotting their efforts until that time.


	12. Part II, Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Beisbeis could tell where he was before he had reached his destination; the sense of vastness engulfed him a few moments before he appeared there. He was once again in Hapori Tohu's haven. Just with every instance as before, a shadow emerged in the distance, soon seen as the Spirit. His pace was steadily growing faster; strangely, it appeared that he was in a great hurry._

_Beisbeis could not help but feel anxious as he watched Hapori Tohu advance and summon his image. Every occasion that he had received guidance for thus far, something unfortunate had occurred as a result. Mingled with his concern, however, was hope – hope that something new about him would be told. He was startled at what was his answer._

"The others will be in peril,

Where BZ-Koro begun,

Make haste to where they soon will fall,

And protect all that you have won."

_His picture disappeared once again, and Hapori Tohu swiftly vanished out of sight –_

Beisbeis woke up, panting. He was still propped up against the boulder. Everywhere around him his men were preparing to settle down for the day. A fire had already been started by a few Matoran a couple bio away, with most of them boiling water or warming cold hands. Také stood nearby, conversing with someone.

The captain lay on the ground a few moments longer, slowing his breath down. Také glanced at his woken captain and rushed to his side as Beisbeis pushed himself off the ground.

"Did you sleep well, sir?" The soldier asked as the Matoran adjusted his mask, "Did you get the information you needed?"

"Také,' Beisbeis said, choosing to ignore the question, "We're leaving. Now."

Také blinked startlingly. "What – what's wrong, sir?"

"Something's going to happen. We need to get there."

"Something? Get where? Where are we going? What are you talking about, sir?"

Beisbeis halted. He opened his mouth for a moment, and then shut it. He turned back to Také while he pulled his pack open. "Hapori Tohu came again. He said someone was going to be in danger - we need to help them."

Také stood, unsure. "Did Hapori Tohu warn you about something like this when you were with him?" Beisbeis hesitated for a moment. He had been warned about something happening– but he had no idea if this was what the Spirit was referring to. Even if it wasn't, he didn't want to worry Také about that; the Krana had taught him that lesson. The captain faced his lieutenant, placing his words carefully.

"He didn't give me any specifics – he just told me – something – was going to happen in the near future."

Také nodded quietly and moved towards the campground. "…Alright, then – where are we headed?"

Beisbeis stopped his packing. He had no idea where they were supposed to hurry to. For a second, he revolved to the direction of the place he thought about. BZ-Koro was cut off from them. Mata Nui would take too long to reach if something was to happen – and Beisbeis felt the message had been _urgent_. As he continued to spin and contemplated possible answers, he suddenly froze looking at the south.

"_The quarry_."

"The quarry, sir?" Také asked confusingly. Beisbeis took a few steps forward. At first his doubt was high; but with each step he took a prompting that this was the right way grew inside him.

"Yeah. I can't explain it, Také – but something's going to happen there, and we need to go." He walked quickly back to his backpack and put away the small items that had been left out. "Can you start getting everyone ready? I'll be there in a few minutes when everything is done."

"No problem," Také said reassuringly, and quietly went to work. Beisbeis waited a few seconds, sighed from his exhaustion that had not disappeared from his sleep, and soon joined Také in gathering the soldiers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fifteen minutes later, Beisbeis stood at the head of the valley, watching the men file out into the plains. Wind whipped in their faces as the group was led out. Beisbeis suddenly gained the impression that someone was watching him; as he revolved his head around, he saw a younger Matoran staring back at him. He gave a half-smile to the soldier. The Matoran did not return the smile; he turned to his neighbors and became engaged in hushed whisperings, as if their captain was not there. Beisbeis' heart sank; he had a shrewd idea of whom they were talking about. The captain shook his head dejectedly and followed everyone else, the last to leave the valley.

"All right, people, " he shouted as he ran to the front of the group, "We need to get to the quarry as soon as possible. We'll be stopping maybe once or twice along the way, but right now it is more important to get there quickly."

More whisperings began to emerge. "I thought we were supposed to be only going to the Suva!" One Matoran complained. Beisbeis sighed as he turned to the one who spoke.

"Circumstances change," he said wearily. "Someone needs help."

"Who? We don't even know if anyone is going to be at the quarry!" The soldier shouted. "It's a waste of time and energy. And since we've lost men now, who's to say we aren't going to lose more?"

Flashes of soldiers drowning in Lake Lamén rushed through Beisbeis' memory; at the mention of the dead he angrily threw his pack down and pointed at the Matoran. "Look, I didn't say you had to go. If you want to go back, you can go right on ahead. There's nothing stopping you - it's your choice."

He stood, breathing deeply to let his temper seep out of him. The crowd watched each other, warily watching who was going to abandon the group and return. After a half-minute a few people shook their heads and made their way back into the valley. The instigator of the questioning ignored his friend's pleas to remain and joined the few that left.

Beisbeis sighed as he watched the small numbers leave. It was not enough to make a huge difference; but the dissenters confirmed the fear he had had since the disaster at the lake – they no longer believed in him.

"…Sir?"

Beisbeis broke his trance. The rest of the Matoran stood, waiting for the next command. The captain smiled gratefully at them. "Thank you for staying with me. I'm glad we can still trust each other." He waited a few seconds while staring at the crowd; then he turned around and hurried south to the quarry, with the rest following behind.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Blocking. Parrying. Stabbing. No rest. No end.

The Matoran fought and fought. More came. No one else around him.

His arms grew weaker. His eyes blurred. He couldn't tell what he was fighting.

A loud shout broke what concentration he had. For some reason it comforted rather than frightened him. Amidst the carnage he was soothed by the noise. He felt a bond between it that gave him strength, clarity. His senses awakened from their lethargy, allowing him to strike the neck of the Nuhvok he was engaged with. The enemy gurgled as the Matoran relished his victory.

His satisfaction jerked into shock when an enormous pain seared his back. Tears rolled down his face as he fell to the ground. His eyes were hazier than before. Blood dripped on the soil. His life ebbed away….

Alone…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis hurried along at a quick pace, his men following just behind. They had been making their way south on the path to the canyon for almost two days now. All bodies were sore; many Matoran almost drifted into unconsciousness as they continued. Their lenient demeanors tensed as soon as the quarry was in sight.

They stood at the base of a three–way canyon; the west side descended in a jagged fashion, where blocks of protodermis were taken for the construction of BZ-Koro, while the north and west side was much smoother and easier to cross. Rotting, derelict structures of wood were all that was left of that time. The amazing spectacle was not what shocked the soldiers, however. It was what was taking place inside the quarry that was surprising. Matoran were fighting against Bohrok – from the green eyes, they appeared to be Nuhvok. Blue eyes, however, began to converge near the west side of the quarry, from the side of Mount Rûn. Beisbeis' eyes widened with desperation.

"They're in an ambush. And those Tahnok will finish them off unless we do something quick!"

"So what should we do, sir?" Také asked. Jets of fire coming from the Tahnok illuminated the landscape; inspiration seized Beisbeis as he saw the abandoned structures.

"We need to help in both ways," the captain said as he spun around, "So everyone to the right of Také will follow him and help free those Matoran. The rest will help me stall those Tahnok long enough until we are ready. Go!" Také's group swiftly broke apart and made their descent along the wooden platforms. Beisbeis began his own run, unsheathing his mace as he did so. "Come on!" he shouted to those behind him. They grabbed their weapons and followed.

The dying weeds rustled as Beisbeis passed by. His adrenaline boiled to the surface as he ran closer; that would be necessary after their journey. After five minutes of sprinting, however, they slowed down near the cliff's edge to watch the Tahnok enter the quarry. Surprise was more critical than sheer power at the moment.

The captain assessed the situation. The wooden "bridge" that was used to cross was merely a collection of planks hastily joined to other supports below. It was slightly lower than the top of the cliff, and the stairs to reach the area were nonexistent – but it was close enough to jump onto and not risk injury. The Tahnok were approaching where they were. It was an opportunity that could not be lost if they were going to win.

Beisbeis tried avoiding seeing how far down the floor was as he took a deep breath and leapt through the air onto the scaffolding. The wood creaked for a few seconds as Beisbeis held his breath, but the structure remained. Relieved, he signaled to the nearest Matoran to follow. One by one everyone held their breath as they made the crossing. The platform was stronger than what Beisbeis thought; soon the overpass groaned underneath the weight of ten Matoran. The grass swished to the side to make way for their remainder of the company to the west entrance to follow the Tahnok.

Fortunately, the Bohrok had taken just as long to make their way to the bottom. They seemed to be in no apparent hurry – only to be a barrier should any Matoran attempt to escape the carnage below. Suddenly, however, the Tahnok hunched together and began to tumble down the hill, increasing their speed as they continued.

"Arrows!" Beisbeis whispered as loud as he could, as the Bohrok rapidly grew closer to the edifice they were standing on. Strings tightened from the exertion. Soon the Bohrok were in range. Taking note of the spindly structure they stood on, Beisbeis whispered to the Matoran, "Don't let them get to the bottom alive – or they might destroy the supports. Be ready to jump in case, though."

Amidst the nearby noise, however, Beisbeis heard a faint cry: others were scaling the side of the quarry, rushing to meet the Tahnok. There was no chance of survival if they fought the Bohrok. Urgency was needed to stop them from death. The captain turned to face the Bohrok once again, and was shocked to see that they were rapidly approaching were they were.

"Shoot!" He shouted. A few of the Bohrok reared out of their curved position from the pain of the arrows. The rest, however, did not slow down their relentless rolling. Soon, some collided with the posts that were so flimsily embedded in the protodermis. The wood splintered into pieces, falling to the earth with a clunk. The structure groaned.

"_Get off!_" Beisbeis yelled; his soldiers were more than happy to comply. An array of light streamed from the masks as their powers were used to escape. Beisbeis ran to the edge of the platform and quickly halted before he realized his mistake. The cliff was higher than where he was standing, and any remnants of the stairs had already fallen. There was no way he could jump back over now. The rest of the Matoran had already crossed over and they had already begun running to the entrance of the quarry.

Beisbeis hesitated for a moment until the beam beneath him began to disintegrate and the edifice began to collapse. The Matoran dropped his mace, leapt off of the falling building, and collided into the Cliffside. His senses were violently compromised for an instant before he realized he was slipping. He desperately thrashed his hands everywhere, attempting to grab anything to stop his descent. He grasped something tough and thin – a root growing from out of the cliff. The sweat from Beisbeis' hand soaked the plant; bit-by-bit, he continued to slide down. His heart pumped faster. Abruptly, the root disappeared from his grip and was steadily rising above him – but before he could appreciate what that meant –

Pain instantly filled the Matoran's back as he struck something. Stars blocked his vision, although he could sense he was rolling down something. Soon something large ended his fall. Beisbeis coughed to regain the missing air, although his whole body ached when he did so. It took him a relatively short time despite his soreness to acknowledge what was in front of him.

It was a red claw, complete with a live Bohrok attached to it. All he could see were Tahnok, completely surrounding him; there was no escape that he could make. The one pointing its weapon at the Matoran slowly advanced. Beisbeis, petrified at what was approaching him, crawled back until the cold rough surface of a boulder came into contact with his skin. The Matoran strained to hear for a sign, for _anything_ that would tell him that hope was coming. He could hear nothing but the quiet "_Chikt"_ of the Bohrok; he was alone.

Beisbeis attempted to avoid the heat radiating from the claw, but there was nowhere to go. His heart pumped hard, for this time he truly had no way to defend himself. The Bohrok raised its claw to strike; Beisbeis' body tensed and his eyes closed in preparation of the attack.

A half-minute passed by. Beisbeis could still feel the heat coming towards him – but there was no added pain. The captain tentatively opened his eyes. The Bohrok stood in the same position as before; its arm was still outstretched ready to strike. Then – amazingly – it stepped away from the Matoran and joined the others, who were still staring at him. Beisbeis did not move; his muscles were still tense from the fear. Their eyes – they were not the usual expressionless faces he had grown accustomed to seeing. They were drawing him to them.

'_Come to us. You are needed._'

Beisbeis hesitated for a moment. He knew not why he was attracted to their calls – it was almost as if he could not help himself. He was needed – that was all that necessary to know. He needed to fulfill his Purpose…

_His senses grew duller; the Tahnok in front became misty and engulfed Beisbeis. He could only see hazy red in front of him that was soon disappearing. His instincts forced him to hold to his senses, but…_

The mist and red quickly disappeared with a horrifying shriek that Beisbeis used to regain his senses with. Blood poured to the ground from the Tahnok that was in front of him.

"Are you all right, Beisbeis?" someone asked. Beisbeis focused his eyes at the thing that was steadily becoming clearer.

"…Khora?" The Matoran nodded.

"Where should we go?"

Beisbeis, still panting heavily, pointed to the junction at the bottom of the quarry. He grabbed his mace, was able to shout, "Ready your weapons!" before he could not speak again, and began running towards the center of the chaos. As he made his way down the ravine, however, his foot stumbled over something he could not perceive on the earth, flinching as he scraped the ground. When he turned to see what he had stumbled upon, it was only his lack of breath that prevented him from gasping in shock.

It was Niwan. Dried blood covered his still torso. The lack of movement testified that he had passed on from this body. His eyes overflowed with shock and betrayal.

Beisbeis knelt for a few seconds, catching his breath. The knowledge that the Head Matoran was dead, regardless of his beliefs, wrought a powerful change in the Matoran. The fury that he had kept under control before now had broken loose and was roaming free. Whether his rage was directed toward Niwan or the Bohrok, he did not know. Beisbeis grabbed his mace that lay next to him, tears of anger flowing, and ran into the fray, swinging his weapon into the back of a Nuhvok. The creature howled with pain, but the Matoran did not heed its cries. He quickly silenced it by cracking its headplate, the fluids lubricating the Krana slowly oozing out.

Beisbeis removed his mace with a grunt and turned to engage another opponent. To his great astonishment, however, he saw a silent battlefield, with each of the Bohrok staring directly at their contenders. Some Matoran used these strange circumstances to their advantage by finishing their battles; but the majority remained intently looking at those they battled. The captain backed away in surprise – it was oddly antagonistic, as if they were watching them individually. Then, as though an agreement of peace had been reached, the creatures retreated from the fight and began making their way onto the path leading to Mount Rûn.

The Matoran hesitated for a moment, making sure a trap was out of the question. An impression came to him – one that was calm and soothing compared to the atrocities he had just seen.

'_Do not worry. They will not return. Bring those who have died back to me. We will give them an honorable departure._'

The captain dropped his mace and fell to the ground, exhausted. All around him small cheers escaped some of the Matoran, although most remained silent.

"What should we do now, sir?"

The Matoran raised his head to find Také standing by his side, anxious to finish the task and leave the place. Beisbeis looked around for a few seconds before he stood up and said, "Grab everyone – dead or alive. We're bringing them all back; they deserve a better place to sleep than here." Beisbeis glanced around the dark quarry. "It looks like there's enough carts around here that we can use." Také, along with a few others that remained with all limbs intact unhurriedly began organizing the effort. One person, however, stood out in Beisbeis' mind, before all other. The captain retraced his steps and found who he was looking for.

The green Mahiki mask lay on the ground, partially cracked. Beisbeis picked up the mask and placed it back on Niwan's face. The Head Matoran's eyes overflowed with shock and betrayal. The Matoran bent down to carry the former leader of BZ-Koro to the wooden cart with the respect that he could show, although he was sure his frustration of his leader's actions lay on the surface.

He slowly came to the cart and placed the body down, next to a Matoran with a deep red bandage around his head. As Niwan was placed down, the soldier shoved the body away and informed Beisbeis venomously, "Don't bring him with us. He doesn't deserve it."

Beisbeis curiously stared at the Matoran, confusion in his face. "Why doesn't he?"

The injured person stared down bitterly at Niwan. "He betrayed us."

Beisbeis' eyes opened wide with surprise. "What?"

The soldier's eyes blearily looked back. "You heard me. We were going to be given to the Bahrag if we hadn't fought back." He pointed at the corpse while he glared at Beisbeis. "He is a traitor to our Koro, and he deserves to rot with those demons he bargained with."

Beisbeis froze, shocked at what he heard. Although Niwan had been a frustration when the Bohrok were discovered and had remained stubborn and hindered Beisbeis' cause… he never suspected that Niwan would actually _join_ those enemies whom they had fought. His own entangled emotions about what to do were soon replaced with that same sooth voice he had heard just a few minutes ago. Through his voice his thoughts came through.

"No. No. We cannot leave him here."

"And why not?" the soldier asked disbelievingly, folding his arms with his mouth slightly open.

"Because we are bringing everyone with us. He was once good, and we will honor that good of him."

The Matoran paused for a moment before he sighe, shook his head doubtfully, took one more glance at Niwan, and turned to his side so he would not have to look at the corpse. Beisbeis sighed as well before turning away. He was not sure he believed what he said, either.

He was spared from wondering about he said when Khora placed another body onto the transportation. Beisbeis' eyes widened once again as he looked down and was faced with another familiar person. Congealed blood that had previously poured from a gash covered the right side of his face – but even so, he was still recognizable.

It was Sori.

"He was on the path towards Mount Rûn," Khora responded quietly, "There were Matoran and Bohrok all around him. Most of them were dead or died soon after we found them." Beisbeis exhaled quickly, his tired eyes shut from the despairing news. His hand extended to the face as Beisbeis mourned the choices the Matoran had made.

Suddenly, Beisbeis felt a faint brush from Sori's neck. The captain shifted his body, placing his fingers on the artery below the neck. After a short wait, it was felt again – very slight, and gone almost as soon as it happened. It was enough.

"He's alive," he whispered, relieved. Khora bent over alongside the officer to examine the victim closer while Beisbeis sat down again on the wagon. Joy engulfed him while he rested. At least one was alive; the journey had become worthwhile. Beisbeis remained where he was for a minute to revel in the victory before continuing the task at hand. Others were not as lucky; lamentations for the dead rent the air that morning.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The dark over the island silently disappeared as the enormous ball of fire rose over the horizon. A figure of white was closely followed by one in red. The two traveled around the rough landscape as the sun revealed their path – one that had been traveled many times. Soon they came to a halt in the shadow of an enormous mountain, looking into the depths of an equally enormous hole.

"Look, Tahu! There is the proof you demanded!" The white figure announced, looking grimly into the expanse. The red figure known as Tahu furrowed his nonexistent eyebrows as he stared into the cavern.

"No wonder Vakama knew so much about the Bohrok. They are not creatures from some other land – they come from Mata Nui itself!"

As light slowly exposed more of the opening, the white one noticed small Tahnok Va climbing their way to the surface. They and their yellow Krana created their own light, illuminating the cavern with a sickly, fire-like color.

Tahu seemed to ignore the foreboding image and leapt into the air, calling upon the powers of his golden Hau and bursting small amounts of bright energy through his feet as to levitate. As he began to lower himself near the Bohrok, he called out, "The time has come to end this, Kopaka! With our combined powers, we can –"

"Have you learned nothing?" Kopaka called, "Charging in there now will not save this island. The Krana are the key!"

Tahu hesitated for a moment, landing on the boulder below his brother, emotions rising. "Ever moment we delay, the Bohrok and Bohrok Va are free to overrun this land." The Toa of Fire turned to the Toa of Ice, eyes of passionate red staring into harsh ones of blue. After a few seconds Tahu turned back to look down into the hole. The Tahnok were growing closer. "Still, you are right. As long as our people are threatened, we don't have the luxury of being merely warriors. So I will heed your advice… this time." The red hero of Mata Nui looked down at his hands, longing to put his fire-sword to good use. "But we should regroup with the others so we _can_ strike the Bohrok – hard. Do you know where Gali is?"

The two Toa turned away from the entrance, discussing where their Brothers and Sister could be found as the Bohrok continued their relentless ascent.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The same dawn that revealed the nest of the Bohrok to Tahu and Kopaka also greeted itself to the caravan of Matoran somberly treading the steps of the dusty path they had taken just a few days earlier. Short scrubs dotted the earth; the repetitive landscape made Beisbeis all the more eager to move on. The journey this time took much longer because of the number of the casualties – and the lack of any pack animals that could ease their burden. He had been pushing the wagon for much of the previous day, and now his strength was spent.

However, not long after sunrise the brush became more green and olive. Small insect were seen darting about for food. Looking ahead, Beisbeis, relieved, noticed the sloping earth that told them they had reached the valley.

Near the building in the distance a crowd noticed the spectacle and hurriedly started running through the bushes towards the mouth of the valley. The captain simply ignored those who he passed; he did not need to tell those who had left them what had happened. They would see, and understand.

A solemn silence continued until the Matoran halted in front of the Suva. One deserter hesitantly came in front of Beisbeis. The captain looked up at the Matoran while he brushed himself off. "Yes?"

"Well – " the soldier began, "well, we're – we're sorry that we left you back there. It wasn't right of us to do so."

The captain remained staring at the Matoran for a few seconds. He had nothing but contempt for the person in front of him. Soon, however, he felt another impression:

'_Let it go. Burying the dead will be justice enough._'

Beisbeis sighed and turned to those in the carts.

"Then let's get busy. We have a lot to do."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Piles of corpses lay, awaiting their fate. One by one, the number of bodies dwindled – and the number of disturbed mounds grew. Each burial was the same, however. The soil was gingerly removed and set aside, there to claim a victim. Beisbeis turned to the Matoran watching beside him. "We have another one ready," he whispered. The soldier nodded, and the two stepped lightly to the line of bodies. As soon as the deceased was in sight, however, Beisbeis heard an intake of breath form the other Matoran.

"What is it?" he asked, turning to his companion. He found a face of shock and fear staring at the next person to be buried. Beisbeis opened his arms as the person flung into them, tears flowing down and howls bemoaning the air.

"Do you know him?" the captain asked.

"I – I can't do this," said the Matoran between gasps of air. "I don't – don't –"

"Don't what?" Asked Beisbeis curiously.

"Des - deserve it." The soldier looked away from the body as he forced himself to continue. "I stayed behind, and – and he went on, because he…"

"He died at the quarry?" Beisbeis asked gently. Fresh tears flowed once more. Beisbeis hesitated for a moment. And, yet… there was something there, telling him what to say as he placed his hand on the Matoran's shoulder.

"I can think of no better person to uphold his honor than you. You have respect for him that no one could have."

"But sir –" the Matoran stammered, before Beisbeis clasped his shoulder.

"I know that he would have wanted you to do it for him. And I'm not forcing you to do this. It's your choice."

A minute went by, with no response. The Matoran stared frighteningly at Beisbeis for a few seconds before looking away; trying to find somewhere to focus his attention so he could decide. As his eyes passed over the ground, the bush, he noticed his friend's body. The Matoran gave a long sigh before he made his way to it. Beisbeis followed behind him.

It seemed to take forever to transport the lifeless Matoran to the hole. Tears poured out of the Matoran's face like water out of a cistern. Beisbeis retained whatever composure he had remaining – although his arms and shoulders began shaking as they grew nearer to the grave.

Slowly the body descended. The skin met contact with the earth. The body rose slightly as Beisbeis removed his arms. The soldiers remained holding on, looking into the dead Matoran's eyes; the captain felt another prompting, unseen and unfelt but by him.

"Let him go," he whispered.

The Matoran bit his lip as he looked one last time. He loosened his grip; the body drifted to fit the space. Immediately the Matoran leapt to Beisbeis, sobbing uncontrollably. Beisbeis comforted as best as he knew how; as he looked past the Matoran with him, however, he could see the same scene occurring everywhere. Matoran carried their dead to their places – and once or twice the burier would come across one he knew. Cries were everywhere, and Beisbeis could do nothing to ease their suffering. The captain sighed quietly, his heart aching from his inability.

"I need to do something," he told the weeping soldier, "If you would like to stop working now, that's fine. Just don't be alone, okay?" The Matoran nodded; Beisbeis left him and silently passed the lines of bodies. No one saw him enter the Suva.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_When the light dissipated Beisbeis found himself inside the endless expanse, the images still drifting along. It was not the pictures that Beisbeis had come to see, though._

_"Welcome again, Beisbeis." The Matoran spun around to find the leader of BZ-Koro staring back at him. "May I inquire about why you have decided to come?"_

_Beisbeis hesitated for a moment. "Well, sir – uh…" He dropped his head, searching for the right words._

_"Does it have anything to do with those men on The Island who mourn their loss?" Hapori Tohu asked quietly. Beisbeis raised his head, surprised at the answer._

_"Sir… Can you read minds?"_

_"I will not pretend that I do," Hapori Tohu replied frankly as he sat down on a newly materialized chair. "I am simply guided by the same Spirit that you are – the Great Spirit's. It provides inspiration to us – you have felt it before. I can provide the dreams – the Spirit guides you with them. It is what keeps us sane with which we would otherwise be lost without."_

_Beisbeis sighed quietly, looking at the lack of expanse below him. "I think… I _am _lost, sir." Hapori Tohu looked concernedly at the Matoran. "I… I couldn't save them. So many have died. I know," he started, as Hapori Tohu opened his mouth, "I know you're going to say that what's done is done or something like that. I just…" He trailed, looking back down again._

_Hapori Tohu folded his arms and waited for a while again before he looked back up at Beisbeis with weariness once again in his eyes._

_"I know how you feel," he whispered, looking around at the portraits. "I couldn't save them, either. And I would love to be able to be free from this prison, so I could be with my people once again. But I can't." Hapori Tohu looked back up at Beisbeis giving a half-smile. "There are just some things that you cannot do – no matter – "_

_Hapori Tohu suddenly halted his comment and turned behind him, staring into the distance. Curious, Beisbeis tried to look past the Spirit – and found him staring back at the Matoran, smiling._

_"Someone wants to meet you," he said calmly._

_Confused, Beisbeis looked at Hapori Tohu to confirm he was serious. The Spirit's eyes betrayed nothing of mockery, so he began to tilt his head left and right, searching for another Matoran from the void._

_"I would suggest looking behind."_

_Beisbeis obeyed the advice from the Spirit – and looked into one of the floating images. Inside was a Matoran with a brown Rau – and deep blue eyes. There was something familiar about that face… Suddenly – _

_"Wait… Is that – "_

_"Yes."_

_Beisbeis hesitantly stepped forward, watching the image as he did so. He had seen that Matoran before – but it was when the one in the picture was cold and lifeless. There was no doubt, though; it was the Matoran he buried at the beach._

_The Matoran tried turning his head elsewhere – but the blue eyes behind the mask forced him to continue staring. No matter how much he tried or how badly he wanted to, his guilt was not enough. Very slowly and deliberately, the blue eyes softened, the cheeks rose, and the chin lowered._

_The emotion began inside of Beisbeis until it spread forth to the rest of his body. His arms, his legs, and his frame – all began to quiver. His breathing was ragged, and his trembling was uncontrollable – but he could not move his eyes. Tears rolled down his face as the Matoran in the image opened his mouth and breathed out._

_'_Thank you_.'_

_The connection was broke. Beisbeis fell to the ground, gasping for air. After a few seconds, he remembered where he was and looked up. The image had returned to its original state; now it gradually picked up speed – and soon was away in the void._

_The only sound heard was Beisbeis' breath returning to normal. He turned to Hapori Tohu, looking for understanding in the event he had just witnessed. The Spirit gave a small smile and raised his eyebrows. Beisbeis returned the grin. Now he understood._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The light in the room gravitated towards the center as Beisbeis emerged from the Suva. The captain stumbled to the ground, his energy spent once again. After a few minutes of returning his heartbeat to normal, he pushed one of the room's doors open and slipped through the crack. This time, however, he did not face the morning – the red sun was already in the foreground against a purplish backdrop. An eerie silence was over the campsite, out of respect for the fallen. Even so, it was still uneasy.

Amidst the Matoran gathering firewood and setting up camp, Beisbeis noticed an especially odd incident. Despite the efforts made by the men, one corpse lay in the middle of the clearing. All that walked past it ignored it, as though it did not exist. Beisbeis hesitantly stepped forward, although he recognized whom it was before he reached it. It was Niwan.

For a few seconds Beisbeis was tempted to follow the others and leave their fallen leader. All that flashed through his mind were the times Niwan were obstinately firm in his decisions that cost lives. As he turned away, however, a voice entered into him and he hesitated.

_'Remember your promise. You said you would do it.'_

Beisbeis mentally shook his head. 'But look at what he did to us – he wanted to give us to the Bohrok! He was evil!'

_'That is not for you to judge. You have enough problems of your own without condemning him, whether he was right or wrong.'_

Beisbeis did not retort; he knew that the voice was right. He sighed despondently, turned around, and lifted Niwan up before he had another chance to think it over. Only two people watched him carry the body away to the back of the valley; the rest were preoccupied with their own thoughts of home.

The sun crept below the horizon when Beisbeis reached his destination. He pulled out his lightstone; it illuminated the many new headstones around him and cast shadows everywhere. Beisbeis looked around hopefully and found what he was looking for. He grabbed the abandoned shovel and forced the blade into the soft soil.

It only took a surprisingly small amount of time for the burial; yet when Beisbeis placed the marker in the ground, dark surrounded the area. The captain knelt to the ground and sighed, watching the grave as if it would talk to him.

"Why did you do it, Niwan?" he mumbled sadly. "Why'd you have to listen to them? It could have been so much better for all of us. We might not be so far away from home – you might have still been with us. Oh, why did you _do _it?" Dirt went flying form his hand onto the wooden marker. The noise seemed deadened by the black as Beisbeis calmed himself again.

"Niwan followed what he thought was best, what would help him." Beisbeis jerked around to find Sori behind him, his feet striding nervously forward. "He could never separate right and wrong."

"…Are you doing all right?" Beisbeis asked coolly after a few seconds. The last time he saw this face was when it was sneering back at him. The memory still lingered in Beisbeis' mind, as the Matoran associated with the expression grew nearer.

"I'm doing much better, thank you," Sori said hurriedly, his eyes glancing around in the darkness. "Um…"

Beisbeis raised his eyebrows. "Yes?"

Sori sighed quickly and focused on Beisbeis' feet. "Beisbeis, I just wanna say that I'm… I'm sorry for what I did – to you and – well, everyone. Niwan blinded me to what was right, as well, but it was my choice, and I just… well – " He trailed off, looking at Beisbeis for his confirmation. After a few seconds of pondering, the captain raised his head and stared at Sori fiercely.

"I forgive you, Sori… but I do not trust you yet. That will take some time."

The Matoran sighed once more, looking back into the black. "…I understand." A moment of awkward silence passed before Sori turned around and started towards the campsite. Beisbeis could see the Matoran pass a faint light that steadily grew closer to him. It was Také.

"What were you doing here, sir?" Asked the Matoran, holding his small torch in his hand. Beisbeis sighed and stood to pick up the shovel.

"Oh, just… tying up some loose ends." The captain paused for a moment at the grave and then looked into the darkness where Sori had went. There was silence for a few seconds before Také moved forward.

"Sir, are you all right?"

Beisbeis broke his connection with the dark and glanced at Také. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine…"

Také wiped his lips and sat down on a boulder nearby, and turned to face Beisbeis. "…Are you sure?"

The captain stared skeptically. "You don't believe me?" Také shook his head and watched Beisbeis anxiously.

"I don't mean… It just seems that something's been on your mind lately…"

Beisbeis shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, a lot _has_ happened lately…"

"Sir, if you need me – "

"There's nothing wrong, Také," Beisbeis interjected, a little too hurriedly. Také shook his head again, fear in his eyes.

"Sir, with all due respect, I feel something _is _wrong, and I don't – "

"Listen," Beisbeis interrupted, "If something _is _wrong, I'll let you know. Okay?"

Také waited for a couple of seconds before he stared back at Beisbeis. "Can you promise me that you are all right?"

There was silence. Beisbeis breathed in and looked into Také's eyes.

"Yes," he exhaled. He held the gaze until Také turned away and sighed.

"Alright," he said.

The only sound that could be heard was the light wisp of wind that spoke of discomfort. Beisbeis stood up quickly and grabbed his lightstone.

"Well… good night, Také."

Také smiled unenthusiastically. "Good night, sir."

The light merged into the dark as the captain left the Matoran to dwell on his fears.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'I sense them. They draw close.'

The Bahrag lay in the enormous cavern. All around their feet innumerable amounts of Bohrok and Bohrok Va scrambled over each other to the Will. More than usual.

'We will deal with them when the need arises. Our preparations must be complete if the Mission is to succeed.'

Tumbling. Crawling. Struggling.

'Is it ready?'

Gahdok signaled to a Lehvak Va, who began the underground march to The Island.

'Yes. Now it is… finished.'


	13. Part II, Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_Red images floated through Beisbeis' mind. Places he had been; Matoran he had seen; Bohrok he had fought. He had barely enough time to comprehend what he was seeing when it was replaced with another picture – and another picture. Quicker, quicker they changed. Soon there was not enough time to see individual figures; a whirlwind of memories flooded Beisbeis' mind, until nothing could be truly noticed – or felt._

_Suddenly, the flow of images stopped and vanished from consciousness. All that remained was a place Beisbeis had never seen before – but at the same time, it was still familiar._

It was an enormous wall, covering the entire length of a cavern. Just being in the very presence of the object made Beisbeis' will want to be there, to feel the coarseness, the evil radiating from the protodermis. There were four words that confirmed his wish.

'Come. You are needed.'

_Beisbeis tried stepping closer – but he was already zooming away from the wall, the cave, the mountain, and – _

The captain woke, gasping for air, sweating profusely. It took a couple of seconds to realize he was not at this wall place, wherever that was. He was still in the valley by the Suva. The blood-red sun cast an eerie glow along the top of the valley as he rose and shivered in the morning cool.

What was that dream about? It did not seem normal – as normal as dreams were, at least. He recalled with fear that he could only see in red – and that happened when he was under the influence of the Bahrag. The fact that he wanted to be near that wall did not ease his anxiety.

Beisbeis sat quietly, contemplating what this meant as light began to reveal the valley. Finally, he sighed, shook his head and stepped over Také as he made his way to the Suva.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The light descended rapidly as Beisbeis found himself in the void once again. This time, however, the Spirit of BZ-Koro was nowhere to be seen.

_"Hapori Tohu?" He called. The noise was deadened despite the absence of anything solid._

_"Yes, Beisbeis?"_

_The captain spun to the side to find Hapori Tohu, standing as calm as ever. Beisbeis hesitated before speaking. "How did you hear me?"_

_The Spirit gave a half-smile as he sat down. "It just takes some practice. I have had enough of that."_

_The Matoran waited a few seconds, careful to recall all that he had remembered seeing._

_"Sir… I had a dream. In it, I… felt like I did when the Bahrag controlled me." He watched Hapori Tohu, whose eyes suddenly but subtly narrowed in puzzlement. The Spirit nodded encouragingly. "…Was there anything else?"_

_Beisbeis nodded quickly, wanting to say the information so he would know what it meant._

_"There was a wall – and a voice told me to go to it."_

_That was enough for Hapori Tohu to stand up, his eyes dawning with comprehension._

_"Beisbeis, stay away from that wall. Stay _far_ away."_

_Beisbeis rose from his seat, confused. "What's so special about it? Why should I stay away –"_

_"Do you remember at the quarry?" Hapori Tohu asked, "When the Bohrok surrounded you?"_

_Beisbeis nodded slowly. The image of black almost engulfing him had not left his mind._

_"Why do you think they didn't kill you then?"_

_The Matoran opened his mouth before his eyes met Hapori Tohu's._

_"You're more useful to them alive than dead."_

_There was a horrific silence. Beisbeis didn't say anything. He couldn't. Hapori Tohu stared grimly. "I don't know what the Bahrag have in mind, but they won't let you get away. Don't give into them for your sake as much as others. They're not worth what you might lose."_

Beisbeis glanced into Hapori Tohu's eyes and saw bleakness staring back at him. He quickly nodded, looking down at the floor. "I understand, sir."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The sun was over the side of the valley when Beisbeis exited the Suva. He took his Akaku off and rubbed his eyes, sighing as he did so. He would never become accustomed to the amount of energy that he lost every time he left the Suva. The Matoran saw Také stroll to him, a small smile on his face.

"Did you go back, sir? What did you talk about this time?"

The captain glanced back at the soldier before responding.

"Oh, I just… had a few questions for him. Is everyone doing all right this morning?"

Také's face turned grave. "…There… was one who didn't make through it last night. It had only been a matter of time."

He had lost Beisbeis' attention, though. The Matoran was looking away, beyond the valley, at the now-bright Mount Rûn.

"That must be where it is," he whispered. Také stared, confused.

"What are you talking about, sir?"

The captain narrowed his eyes. Flashes of the wall continued passing through his mind; he was being drawn to that place.

'Remember what Hapori Tohu said,' he reminded himself. 'It's dangerous.'

'But what's so dangerous about it? There's no reason why it would harm me. Besides, I only want to find out what the Bahrag want – as long as I am safe, I'll be fine.'

'But what about Také and the others?' his mind retorted.

'They'll be fine,' he consoled – although he was not sure he believed that.

Regardless, the debate in Beisbeis' mind was decided; curiosity won over caution, although he still felt guilt about his eventual abandonment of his men. He turned to the side and started: he had forgotten Také was there.

"What are you talking about, sir?" Také repeated.

Beisbeis opened his mouth, taken aback at the question.

"I was – just – " he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "Just… thinking."

Také raised his eyebrows and looked down onto the ground.

"If you say so, sir."

The captain waited another few seconds before nodding to the soldier. "See you later," he murmured. He stepped gingerly until he reached his camp at the side of the valley. The grass rustled as he grabbed his pack and threw all of his belongings into it without much care. He just wanted to get out before others began asking what he was doing.

As Beisbeis shouldered his pack and grabbed his mace, however, he turned and suddenly hesitated. Next to where he was, Také's pack lay undisturbed.

'You should at least tell him. He deserves to know,' his conscience chided him.

"Oh, all right," The Matoran sighed aloud. He sat down, pulled out a small piece of paper, scribbled a note, and placed it inside the pack.

"Well, that's that," he whispered, grabbed his pack and began down the path that led to the exit of the valley.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The sun was high in the sky, casting an uncommon tint of maroon over the landscape. Beisbeis breathed heavily as he sat down on a boulder that was embedded on the road to the quarry. The air was much stuffier by mid-day, even if there was a breeze blowing through the plain.

As the Matoran sipped from his water bottle, he glanced back to the valley he had left a day ago. Guilt started to seep inside Beisbeis as he looked back. Suddenly, his decision to leave the Suva seemed very rash. He hoped that Také would understand.

As he watched the landscape, however, something attracted his gaze: a small dot, far odd in the distance, coming from the direction of the Suva.

It was a person – _that_ Beisbeis was sure of. It was who that was not known; surely Také would not have told anyone that he, their leader, was missing. Whoever it was, though, the captain's inquisitiveness was still fiercely determined to reach its goal. he sealed his pack, placed it on his shoulders, and set off again, hoping that this mysterious person had not yet spotted him – although his hopes were soon evaporating in the humid air.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Darkness… Confusion… Panic. There was no stability, no direction… no purpose. Suddenly, he knew what was in front of him._

_The wall._

It was just within reach. He stretched out his hand – 

Beisbeis gasped as he rose from his sleeping place. He took a few seconds to breathe before he understood where he was and placed his Akaku over his face. His heart began thumping again as he recoiled from the bundle of heat in front of him. The thing stoked the embers to the fire that was the only light in the otherwise pitch-black night.

"Who's there?" he asked, squinting his eyes. It hesitated before it gave its answer.

"It's Sori."

Beisbeis' eyes widened from the answer.

"You!" He said in surprise as Sori pulled out his lightstone.

"I saw you leave the valley," he said quietly. "It didn't look like anyone else was going, so I packed up and followed you."

"Did you tell anyone about me?" Beisbeis asked fiercely, quickly assuming the worst. Again to his surprise, Sori shook his head.

"Did you think they would have let me go if I told them?"

Beisbeis did not answer, knowing there was no need. Soon, though, he looked back at Sori, one last question on his mind.

"So why are you here?"

The Matoran waited silently as Sori looked down at his feet. The light wind brushed through the campsite, the only sound that could be heard. When Sori looked back up, Beisbeis was yet again startled to hear weeping from the soldier.

"I – I made a mistake," Sori stammered; although he could not see it, Beisbeis could sense tears running down the Matoran's face. "It… It hurt people. And I want to make up for it – or at least try to."

Beisbeis hesitated slightly. There was the possibility that Sori was feigning the entire thing… But even so, he had never known a different Sori than what he was used to, so he could not judge for himself.

Before he could decide, however, Sori suddenly stopped his tears and whispered, "Beisbeis… don't look around." The captain heard a rustling in the bushes that made him swivel around on instinct.

He stared into green eyes.

Everything about Sori was instantly forgotten. The wall continually flashed into Beisbeis' mind, steadily growing faster, until it was all that he could see. As soon as it started, however, it suddenly vanished, leaving Beisbeis in the darkness. Bohrok eyes of all colors that were everywhere suddenly melded into black, their heat disappearing. Some grunts and footsteps were heard.

It was at least a few minutes before Sori whispered, "Beisbeis? Beisbeis!" The captain turned back to face the soldier.

"We need to go," he replied quietly, "Now."

"Where are we going?" Sori asked.

"To Mount Rûn."

Beisbeis did not need to see Sori's eyes open wide; the breath was evidence enough.

"Sir," he whispered, "That's where the Bohrok – "

"I know," Beisbeis retorted, "But I need to know what is there."

There was a silence. The breeze still flowed through. Sori turned to Beisbeis.

"Is it worth it – to know?"

Beisbeis grimly shrugged his shoulders.

"I hope so."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Matoran began their journey again as the sun rose to their left. There was no purple or orange – or even blue – in the sky. Dark red consumed the horizon, with thick clouds casting a deep shadow over the foliage that Beisbeis and Sori walked over.

"I wonder how the sun does that," Sori murmured gently, staring into the darkened sky. "I can't imagine changing one's color, let alone something as enormous as the sky."

"Perhaps that's why we're meant for smaller things," Beisbeis replied. "I would rather stick with myself rather than other people or things." He stopped and sat on the ground to rest his feet as Sori joined him and sighed.

"Do you think it's ever going to turn back to the way it was? Before this all happened?"

The captain sighed, thinking of the graves in the valley.

"There's some things that are too late to fix. I just hope we don't make the same mistakes again."

Sori turned and quietly smiled at the other Matoran. "I don't think you will. You're too good for that."

Beisbeis watched Sori for a few seconds before looking away, uncomfortable with the Matoran's reassurance. The silence was broken when he coughed and said, "Well… Let's get going."

The two Matoran stood from their resting positions and continued coming closer to Mount Rûn.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The same sun that rose over the Matoran's heads also shone brightly over the Toa, standing amidst a rocky outcropping, heat gathering in the dark features. The heroes faced a hole that could only be seen a few feet in; the rest was black.

The brown Toa known as Pohatu turned to the others as he pointed into the emptiness. "Then it's decided. We will challenge the Bohrok in their nest!"

The usually carefree Toa of Air shook his head forlornly. "No… The Bohrok are not the true enemy. It is the _Krana_ we must defeat! They have a purpose, a mission… It's why they exist!"

The Toa of Stone shrugged as he started down the cave. "Then they can tell us all about it… on their way off the island."

Light reflected through the gold masks onto the smooth side of the tunnel wall before it gave way to the darkness. Tahu turned to Onua while glancing at the Toa of Air.

"Keep an eye on Lewa," he whispered. Onua's green eyes turned, his eyes raised.

"Do you think he is still influenced by the swarm?"

Tahu shook his head determinedly. "Onua, I am no longer certain what I think. But nothing can be allowed to interfere with our mission!"

The Toa of Earth smirked as he turned to face ahead and continue down the crevice.

"Lewa would say you sound like a Bohrok, my friend."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The light over the land faded and the sun disappeared beneath the mountain. Shadows lengthened as Beisbeis and Sori grew closer past the burnt landscape that lay as a testament to the Bohrok's carnage. As the sky began to grow dark once again, the Matoran stood at the edge of Mount Rûn. Sori hesitantly glanced at Beisbeis while watching the edifice.

"…Are you sure you want to do this? I'm not sure this is a good idea – "

"You don't have to come up if you don't want to," Beisbeis countered, staring back at the path ahead. "I just want to see something. That's all."

As the words escaped him, however, he felt it: the faint call of the Spirit. All other times he had heard it, it was firm and unwavering. Now all he could hear was a desperate pleading, almost an echo:

'_Don't go…'_

The words faded, and nothing remained to deter him. Beisbeis inhaled, and took a step forward.

Sori waited a few seconds, biting his lip as the captain continued forward. He gasped as he heard a stick snap behind him, and any anxiety he still had was not enough to defy his fear of being alone. He also took a deep breath before running to catch up to the other Matoran.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The earth was silent. Light quietly faded. Night was falling.

Také sat on the hillside near his pack, shaking his head disbelievingly at the note in his hand. He had read it over and over again; but no answer came to his mind.

"Oh, Beisbeis… What have you done?" he whispered, folding the message and closing his eyes wearingly. There was no way he could catch up to the captain now; he had no idea when Beisbeis had left him the note.

His moment alone was soon broken when Khora was seen running towards him, shouting something while pointing to the entrance of the valley.

"Attack! There's an attack!"

Také grabbed his bow and quickly started down the mountain, running through the other campsites as he did so.

"Come on, wake up!" he shouted, avoiding tripping over anyone in the way, "Time to fight!"

Matoran soon grouped together, grabbing their weapons as they left the Suva behind and entered the foray.

"Follow me, everyone!" Také shouted as the came to the entrance, "Charge into them! Give them a reason to stay out! Khora, do the same thing on the right! Hurry!"

"I'll be quick!" The Matoran shouted as he began his way back. Také turned to stem the flow of enemies that were scrambling to enter the valley and fired a volley into the group. There was nothing that Beisbeis could do for them now.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The last sliver of light was dashed from the sky. Beisbeis had already pulled his lightstone out of his pack to follow the dusty path. They had to be nearing an entrance soon…

"Do you see anything, Sori?" He whispered to his left while watching ahead. The Matoran shook his head with a sigh.

"No, nothing at all. I think it would help if I knew…"

Beisbeis slowed his pace to a stop as he watched the soldier peer into the distance. "What? What is it?"

Sori motioned urgently to the captain. "Point your lightstone over here. I thought – "

Beisbeis did as he was told – and was surprised to see the light reveal a building. It was more shocking to see that the roof had collapsed, the walls ruined – no life that he could see.

"An outpost," he sighed. "They had the least chance out of all of us." Sori bowed his head out of respect. A rock or two fell from the remains and made a sharp cracking noise on the floor.

"Wait a minute…" Beisbeis whispered as he shifted to his thermal screen. Bright colors surrounded them. As he switched back, eyes of green and red sprouted out of the darkness.

"_Run!_" Beisbeis shouted as he turned to the path. Sori followed closely on the path with Nuhvok and Lehvak squirting acid and hissing at their targets. It was as if they were back in the campground, except the eyes were after _them_.

The _chikt-chikt-chikt-chikt_ spurred the Matoran onward; Beisbeis had never known fear such as this – despite how much he ran, he could find no way out of the madness. He barely comprehended the sudden lack of light that suggested they had passed into the entrance of Mount Rûn.

"Up ahead!" Sori shouted, and Beisbeis watched in elation as he saw a fork in the road. Both sides were pitch black. Just a few bio more –

Suddenly, more eyes appeared out of the expanse, directing their sight to the two Matoran.

"Right! Turn right!" Beisbeis yelled, their feet scraping the floor as they followed to the right. The Bohrok tumbled together as they followed the path of their quarry.

It never seemed to end – left, right, left, left, back and forth – until light reflected onto an enormous wall that blocked any way out. Beisbeis spun around and unsheathed his mace, pointing the lightstone at the chasing monsters. His battle cry faltered, as he found only black behind him. There was no heat coming from within the tunnel.

"…Beisbeis…"

The captain turned around and took an intake of breath.

"What, Beisbeis? What is it?"

The Matoran stood silent for a few moments. His smile slowly grew as the comprehension increased on his face.

"It's my dream," he said.

Tentatively he stepped closer to the wall. Crude runes and drawings adorned the place, most of which showed an enormous black figure flying over an even larger island with towering spires. Beisbeis raised his hand to touch the wall – but something filled his arm with enormous pain. He recoiled as Sori pulled him away.

"Don't touch it! Let's just get out of here!"

Beisbeis shook his arm for a few seconds before he pointed at the wall. "It's too late now. I'm here, and I will know the answer. Besides," he pointed his lightstone into the darkness, "I'm not going back there right now."

The captain turned back around to face the wall. He still had no idea –

_The Bahrag screamed 'Yes! Yes!'. Instinctively the hand raised and touched the wall. Spindles of dark light radiated from the body to the wall, spreading – becoming alive – _

Beisbeis was once again thrown to his feet, shaking his head vigorously. He cut his own movement short as a deep rumbling occurred beneath Sori and he. Bit by bit a hole grew from the wall, until there was enough room for both Matoran to travel through. Beisbeis glanced at Sori matter-of-factly before grabbing his mace and lightstone and passing through the wall. Now he would know.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'It is done, Gahdok. The mission can proceed.'

'Confirmed, Cahdok. At last, all obstacles have been… removed.'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis could hear his steps echo in the room as he descended to the bottom. There were no stairs; but that did not stop him. He needed to see what he had waiting for.

As he came closer, his steps became slower and slower, until they finally stopped altogether. Sori followed closely behind.

"Wha – What is it?" he asked anxiously. Beisbeis furrowed his eyebrows confusingly.

"It's… a seed."

Beisbeis stood disappointedly. So this is why the Bahrag had attacked BZ-Koro, murdered hundreds of his people… for a seed? How would that help –

_A plant grew constantly, ravaging a city, Matoran frantically running in all directions –_

'Use it!' 

Beisbeis fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Sori ran to his side, gripping his shoulders.

"Are you alright, Beisbeis?"

_There were strange being in metal machines, challenging the might of the swarm – _

_'You dared oppose your brothers! Therefore – '_

"Beisbeis, answer me!"

_Louder, faster, the images meant nothing – 'Obey the swarm!' Red turned to black as he swung - _

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Come on, fight!" Khora shouted into the chaos. The battle had lasted far into the nighttime; they had managed to halt the progress of the Bohrok's entrance into the valley – but that was not going to last for much longer.

Khora watched the men fight against their individual opponents. He rushed forward to help them; he swung his sword to attack a Lehvak in front of him. He was surprised to find no resistance coming from his attacker. Terrified squeals escaped the Bohrok as it limped away from the valley with its fresh wound. All around, the same scene was repeated everywhere else. Mass pandemonium ensued within the creatures; some simply ran away, while others fell to the ground, seemingly dumbfounded.

No cries escaped; the Matoran; all had learned from the battle at the quarry. Také's Miru glowed as he rose above everyone else onto the large mound in the middle of the entrance.

"What's happening?" Khora asked as Také came back to the ground with a sigh of relief.

"It's over."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis' eyes slowly came back into focus. First he saw the face.

"Sori," he whispered with a weak smile. Then he saw the eyes. They were filled with shock – and confusion. They bore right through Beisbeis' soul, though he did not know why.

"…Sori?"

Then he saw the body.

Blood seeped from a wound and dripped onto the rocky floor. His mace was wedged into the Matoran's abdomen.

Sori staggered forward with one last release of breath. Beisbeis caught him, his own eyes filled with confusion at what they saw. Finally, tears poured down his face with recognition. The Matoran fell to the ground and cradled the head in his hands.

End of Part II


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue

The corpses lay on the loamy soil, evidence of a battle that was two days past. The number of gravestones in the valley steadily grew. The Bohrok were piled in a ditch outside the valley; less effort and care was taken for enemies.

Také continued his work, gently lifting bodies with others to carry to the other side of the valley. It was the second time in less than a week that he had to perform this. Lamentations for the lost time echoed through the silence once more.

The dead, however, were not on Také's mind at the moment as he grabbed a shovel to shift the dirt. There were too many other problems that boded on his mind, and none with fresh solutions. There was nothing he could do; he would just have to wait –

"Také!" someone called. The Matoran turned from his talk to another pointing to the entrance of the valley. Fearing the worst, the shovel left a small thud on the ground as Také hurried to discover the problem.

"Excuse me – " he kept murmuring as he weaved through the workers. He summoned the power in his Miru to avoid the crowd. His fears about danger were slowly shrinking, but his curiosity was the same. He soon found his answer.

'_It's him!_'

The captain was the epitome of despair: his whole body was covered in dust, even over the usually white mask. His pack was missing, as well as his mace. His eyes had the most change: the vibrant blue was dulled, filled with… fear?

'Are you all right, sir?" Také ventured as he lowered himself to the ground. "Where are your things?"

Beisbeis stared vacantly at Také, only breathing unsteadily. The soldier stared back, his eyes firmly searching for an answer.

"Sori left with you, right? What happened to him?"

The captain's eyes grew wide, and Také was startled to see tears beginning to roll down the face. After a few seconds, Beisbeis blinked and turned away as he passed the Matoran.

"It was a monster."

Také reached out to grab Beisbeis' arm, but the captain shrugged away the move and continued down into the valley, his head bowed down. The soldier lowered his arm and sighed quietly, almost to himself.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

People were looking at him; whispers started as he passed by. He didn't want to see anybody, and he didn't want anybody to see him. All he wanted was to get through as quickly as possible. He just wanted –

'_Come to me._'

Startled, Beisbeis broke his concentration and raised his head. The reverently silent Suva blocked him to his destination.

All other motives were pushed aside. Quickly Beisbeis gasped and ran to the entrance, desperately stumbling to reach the door. His hand stretched to push it open – but it stopped. Like a dream, the Spirit's voice entered into his conscience.

"_Beisbeis, stay away from that wall._"

The Matoran's hand hesitated. The same voice patiently came to him.

"_Beisbeis, come to me._"

But shame had already invaded. Beisbeis dropped his arm limply, and with tears running steadily now, turned away and left silence behind.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It had not been a long time since he had seen it. After what had happened, however, it was still enough to make it foreign, unfamiliar.

BZ-Koro drew nearer, however. First grass growing greener and taller, then numbers of trees made that certain.

_He stayed away from everyone else as much as he could. He lived on the hillside, alone, watching the campfires of others below extinguish one by one_. _When the last one disappeared, the captain was surrounded in darkness – the way he felt now._

The dwindled group quietly made their way along the well-trod path. Beisbeis was near the front, leading them home. His mind was elsewhere, however.

_Quietly he prepared himself for sleep, if he could call his nightmares that._

_"Sir?"_

_The Matoran turned surprisingly to find Také breathing quietly on the side of the path, his arms folded determinedly._

_"I hope you will not mind me saying this, sir, but the men are waiting for your decision."_

_Beisbeis remained silent, watching the grass next to Také's feet with a questioning look. The soldier sighed and left the captain, rustling through the brush as he went down the hill._

_"Good night, sir."_

The next day, they left the valley to return home. Také was right, although all wanted to know where he had been during the battle, they were willing to listen to Také and Khora enough to follow Beisbeis' command. It gave him a responsibility to continue on, if nothing else.

But as the broken walls of their Koro appeared behind the twisting pattern of trees, Beisbeis' relief turned to concern as a Matoran ran through the forest on a creature that Beisbeis had only seen rarely during the campaign at Le-Koro. The Gukko bird squawked once as its feet beat at the ground to slow its run. "It's okay," he called to the anxious crowd, "The soldiers from Mata Nui have returned."

"We are glad to see you safe, fellow captain and friend," the Matoran atop the creature called. "It is comforting to see some goodness and safety of others mingled with our sadness concerning our loss."

Beisbeis hesitated, watching the Matoran regrettably. If they had been here… What might have…

He shook his thoughts away and pointed to the Koro. "I am glad to see you as well, Érnne. Let us return home, and we can give each other our news."

The group passed through the ruined arch. Cries of both joy and grief echoed through the ruined walls.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Érnne sighed quietly when Beisbeis finally finished. "Well, I never really trusted Niwan, and neither did Karon, from what he told me – " he nodded to the lieutenant. "…But – " He shook his head and allowed quiet to come over the enormous dome building. Light shone dimly on the floor as Beisbeis recalled so much that had happened to him in that room… So much…

"…This will be a lot to tell everyone when we head back…" Beisbeis blinked from the statement, his eyebrows lowered with confusion.

"What are 'we' planning to do?"

"We're leaving," Karon answered. "There's nothing for us here now. Most of the soldiers are still on Mata Nui, waiting for us to come. We still need to finish planning the journey, especially with everyone…"

The Matoran continued debating and proposing, but Beisbeis could not hear them. After a few minutes, Beisbeis excused himself with a nod and left the dusty building behind. There was only one place he wanted to be now.

The same light that barely shone through the Council building illuminated the Library. The Matoran stood staring at the eyes that he once accepted, once loved… Now he couldn't look at them.

"Sir?"

Beisbeis spun around to find the teal Miru watching concernedly. "Are you all right?"

Silence was his answer. Beisbeis stared at the ground, his heart wanting to burst out of his chest. The Spirit would not let him keep it buried any longer.

"…Také… I need to tell you something."

The steps echoed as the soldier drew closer. "Anything you need, sir."

"…I'm the monster."

The sharp noise disappeared. Také stared, confused. "What?"

Beisbeis inhaled deeply, his whole body quivering. "Hapori Tohu told me not to go, but I didn't listen, and – and he came, too, and…" His lip trembled; his breathing was ragged. "I – I killed Sori – " He covered his mouth despairingly. Tears poured and fell to the floor. His silent weeping were are that could be heard now.

He did not know how long he lay crying there; but he did hear a tentative voice.

"…Sir?"

The Matoran opened his eyes for a short moment before closing them again. His lamentation subsided as his fatigue emerged. All he awaited now was Také's response.

"…What do you plan to do?"

Beisbeis sat, surprised. "Well, I'm not going to Mata Nui. I need to stay here – "

"Then I'm staying with you," Také replied resolutely. Beisbeis shook his head fiercely.

"No, you won't. They need you to – "

" – Beisbeis – "

" – And I'm not going to hurt you – "

" – Beisbeis – "

" – I need to be alone – "

" – _Beisbeis_."

Beisbeis hesitated. The Matoran kneeled to lift him up by shoulders and stared lovingly into his eyes.

"Yes, you have done something horrible. You are a danger to everyone… But I'm staying with you. You need someone. I am your friend, and I am here because I want to be. Please… let me help you."

Beisbeis looked into Také's eyes.

He saw truth.

With one sweeping motion, he embraced his friend, tears once again overflowing.

"…_Thank you_… Thank you."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The waters pulled forward and receded. It drew itself into the sea, calling to those who were journeying into it.

"Hurry, we're leaving soon!" A Matoran shouted as the mass continued to move onto the ship. Khora continued hefting the boxes of whatever was left on The Island for them to take. As he continued his work, he watched two Matoran standing on the shoreline, immobile.

"Hey! You better hurry!" he called to them. They did not move. Curious, he looked at the boat for one second before running off the dock to discover who they were.

"…Beisbeis! Také! When are you getting on?" He asked, his smile slowly beginning to wear off. The Matoran shook his Akaku quietly.

"We won't be joining you, Khora," Beisbeis whispered.

The Matoran stood in his place, shocked. He had not expected this. "Why aren't – "

"I'm not ready to tell now," Beisbeis answered respectfully. "It will have to wait."

Khora could not think of anything to say. Beisbeis grabbed the Matoran's shoulder and whispered, "Just know that you are a true leader, Khora. Guide these people… They will look to you."

Khora's eyes stung from the salty tears, trying to shake his emotions. Beisbeis embraced the Matoran and whispered in his ear, "I promise you we will meet again."

It was enough. Khora looked once more in the blue eyes and nodded with a small smile. He turned to return to the boat. He was the last to board the vessel.

The ropes were retrieved. The boat pushed off, leaving the small cove. Khora glanced back at the Matoran, peace in himself. First The Island, then each Matoran slowly disappeared behind the fog.

He could hear the gulls calling as the water carried them away.


End file.
